The majority of Brits think Rishi Sunak has been too slow in bringing forward legislation to tackle the small boats crisis, new polling suggests. The poll by Techne found 57 percent say the government has not acted quickly enough.
Some 23 percent said the government had not been too slow on legislation to curb Channel migrant crossings.
A further 20 percent did not know in the survey of 1,624 British adults carried out from March 1 to 2.
Labor voters were more likely than their Tory counterparts to be critical of the government’s pace.
Some 87 percent of Labor backers said Mr. Sunak had been too slow compared to 25 percent of Conservative voters.
Meanwhile, Remainers were also more likely than Brexiteers to say the government had not acted quickly enough at 73 percent and 44 percent respectively.
It comes as legislation to crack down on Channel crossings is understood to likely be unveiled next week by Mr Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Tory former minister Sir John Hayes told the Express: “It’s really good news that the government is now taking action on illegal immigration.
“It would have been great to have had it sooner and it is clearly a matter of great urgency. It’s a high priority for the public and rightly so.
“People are coming into this country illegally and we need to clamp down on it.
“When people voted to take back control, that included taking back control of our borders.
“We must do so now without further delay, without equivocation, we must solve this problem for good.”
The Prime Minister set tackling the flow of rubber dinghies from France as one of his top priorities in the run-up to the next general election.
Speaking in the Commons earlier this week, Mr Sunak did not say when the legislation would be brought forward but insisted it needs to be as “strong and robust” as possible.
He said: “As soon as the legislation is ready it will be brought to this House, so people who arrive in this country illegally will not be able to stay.
“That is the right and responsible thing to do.”
The Government’s controversial policy to send migrants on a one-way ticket to Rwanda has so far been grounded by legal challenges.
Some Tories have argued in favor of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights to help make it easier to send migrants overseas.
The latest Home Office figures show 2,950 migrants have crossed the Channel already this year.
A record 45,755 people made the dangerous journey from France last year.
