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The Prime Minister said that Britain needs the Iron Lady\u2019s resolve to stop enemies using \u201cmigration as a weapon\u201d by deliberately driving people to our shores to \u201cdestabilise\u201d society.<\/p>\n
In a major speech in Rome yesterday, he said he is ready to push for an overhaul of international asylum rules if that is what it takes to break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.<\/p>\n
He warned that if illegal migration is not tackled it will shake people\u2019s faith in \u201cour very systems of government\u201d.<\/p>\n
At the annual gathering of the Brothers of Italy, the country\u2019s largest political party, he referred to Mrs Thatcher three times as he strived to convince Right-wing Conservatives at home that he is not weak on migration.<\/p>\n
And after talks with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who leads the Brothers of Italy, Britain and Italy will now jointly finance a scheme to return migrants in Tunisia to their home countries.<\/p>\n
Number 10 said that after the talks Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni had agreed to co-fund a project that would see the two countries \u201cpromote and assist the voluntary return\u201d of migrants currently stuck in Tunisia. Many migrants from African states cross from Tunisia to Europe.<\/p>\n
A Downing Street spokesperson said: \u201cThey also agreed to deepen UK-Italy co-operation on security and economic development across North Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Sunak wants his party to get behind emergency legislation to ensure the Government will not be stopped from sending asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing.<\/p>\n
Mr Sunak had told his Italian audience: \u201cMargaret Thatcher never shied away from the hard choices and the big issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd today, there is no issue to which we need to apply Thatcher\u2019s radicalism and drive to more than illegal migration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warning of the backlash if the issue is not tackled, he said: \u201cIt will overwhelm our countries, and our capacity to help those who need our help most.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cost of accom- modating these people will anger our citizens, who won\u2019t understand why their money should be spent on dealing with the consequences of this evil trade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will destroy the public\u2019s faith not just in us as politicians, but in our very systems of government.\u201d<\/p>\n
In what will be seen as a clear message to critics in his own party who say his Bill to save the Rwanda scheme \u2013 struck down by the Supreme Court last month \u2013 does not go far enough, he said that Lady Thatcher \u201cunderstood that ideas only mattered if you could implement them\u201d.<\/p>\n
But he signalled he is prepared to take controversial action to stop \u00adpeople smuggling, saying: \u201cIf that requires us to update our laws and lead an international conversation to amend the post-war frameworks around asylum, then we must do that. Because if we don\u2019t fix this problem now, the boats will keep coming and more lives will be lost at sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> Tories facing election disaster, Brexiteer warns Sunak<\/strong><\/p>\n Mr Sunak received a warm welcome from close ally Ms Meloni. But he faces a political storm when his Rwanda Bill returns to the Commons in the New Year.<\/p>\n One of the most senior MPs at the heart of efforts to get the PM to tighten up the plan issued a stern warning, saying: \u201cThis Bill needs major surgery. We cannot afford to see another small boats law enacted and then fail just months out from an election.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will mean total annihilation at the ballot box, even worse than we are facing.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Sunak has resisted calls to pull out of the European Con-vention on Human Rights \u2013 a move that would enrage centrist Tories. But the senior MP insisted the ECHR must not be allowed to stop flights taking off. They said: \u201cThe Prime Minister seems more worried about his reputation on the international stage than solving this for the British public.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know we have to respond to our constituents\u2019 concerns. We cannot allow Strasbourg to block flights again and we must close off routes to individual legal challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all hope he can come back and meaningfully strengthen this Bill. We can\u2019t have anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n