Grant Shapps has declared that illegal migrants arriving in the UK "shouldn’t get rights".
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the Welwyn Hatfield MP said they should be treated differently to asylum seekers.
"The direction here is quite straightforward," said the business secretary.
"If you come here via an illegal route, so you come here to claim asylum and you know in the first place the way you’re getting here is not legal, you shouldn’t get rights.
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"You shouldn’t get rights if you consent and you come here through illegal routes.
"What we must have is a situation where people can come here legally and claim asylum, but not illegally."
His claims come as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights if judges in Strasbourg try to put a stop to his plans to toughen up UK asylum rules.
Mr Sunak and home secretary Suella Braverman are finalising plans to strip appeals rights from those who arrive in the country illegally.
A record 45,000 people crossed the English Channel last year, with 218 migrants arriving in four boats on Saturday alone.
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