Braverman says lawyers who help migrants cheat system should be jailed

Laywers who submit false asylum and human rights claims for illegal immigrants should face jail, Suella Braverman has said.

In an interview on Sunday, the Home Secretary insists there needs to be a ‘hostile environment’ for ‘criminals and conmen’ who try to cheat the system, while also pointing to existing laws that allow life sentences for those who assist unlawful immigration.

Her statement comes after a major undercover investigation unmasked lawyers charging thousands of pounds to make false asylum claims

Announcing a crackdown on the practice ahead of a series of Government initiatives dubbed ‘Stop the Boats’ week, Mrs Braverman said: ‘It’s very simple. They really need to be jailed.

‘We have the laws in place already which can be used whereby if you are facilitating a migrant illegally, you can be potentially jailed for life‘And if the offence is warranted, then these people must be jailed for as long as possible. They need to know that they can’t get away with it. They need to know that this is totally unacceptable. ‘And we need to ensure that a blind eye isn’t turned to this kind of behaviour but, actually, that we have a hostile environment for those who seek to undermine and break our rules.’