David Davis believes the answer to the UK’s immigration issues is attempting to agree a pushback plan with France.
Mr Davis, the former Brexit Secretary, has rebelled against the Government after they announced reforms to the asylum and immigrations rules.
The reinstated Nationality and Borders Bill makes it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK without permission rather than via a designated scheme or route.
David Davis
GB News
Those who break the rules could face a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Peers had voted to remove the new rules that punishes those who arrive in the UK without a valid entry clearance.
But MPs reinstated the measure by 317 votes to 220 – majority 97.
MPs also voted 318 to 220 – majority 98 – to reinstate a proposal to treat asylum seekers differently based on how they enter the UK.
But Mr Davis believes a pushback agreement with France is a much better way of solving the UK’s immigration problems.
Speaking to Nigel Farage on GB News, he said: “The answer has got to be pushback, either we settle something with the French, because the French haven’t behaved well in this whole exercise.
David Davis in discussion with Nigel Farage
GB News
“But they are in the middle of an election campaign, but we have to settle that with them.
“I think we’re going to have to look at the maritime law closely, maritime law is built around safely first and foremost. What do these people smugglers do, they put these people in deliberately unsafe boats.
“The Australian analogy, I was talking to the ex-Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott about this, and he said they used to scuttle the boat so they had pick it all up.
“What did the Australians do? They took their own boats. Here’s a boat that will get you back to Indonesia and just enough petrol to get there.”