HOUSING migrants on barges is the right thing to do if the UK is to deter people from taking the “terrible risk” of crossing the Channel in small boats, according to Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

The former Conservative Party leader told GB News: “It’s right to do this and I suspect this is the start of many that will be coming on to barges…

“The key thing is, why do you want to do it on barges? Because we’ve got to start making it categoric that coming over here illegally, it is not a comfortable place to be and therefore you’re not going to end up just sitting around in some smart hotel somewhere in the United Kingdom, possibly to get away, to get a job, all that sort of stuff.

“So all of this makes it much more difficult for people when they think about paying the traffickers and say ‘well, what are we paying for?’ and that then coupled with the legislation which is critical. That has now passed.”

In a discussion with Bev Turner and Tom Harwood, he added: “But I’m afraid as you know, our problem is always with the courts and with the Court of Human Rights.

“But the reality is that then those who are here illegally then get sent either back to their home or a third country, in this case to Rwanda.

“So I think this is a combination of two things, not comfortable to be here and at the same time, you’ll be going somewhere else very quickly. We had to get this.”

He added: “We’ve got to get this up and running. I know the government is determined to do that. I’ve had my own criticisms of government policy in the past.

“But the reality is I think this is a start of a very visible sign to those that are in France, who think that coming over here is worth the money, worth the risk, terrible risk because many have died in the channel, as you know, and then you start to make this a disincentive.”