Rishi Sunak refuses to say if he will meet key pledge to stop the boats before the next election

RISHI Sunak today refused to say if he'll stop the boats in time for the next general election.

In January the PM staked his entire premiership on ending illegal channel crossings.

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But so far this year more than 17,000 people have made the perilous journey.

The next general election is due by January 2025 at the latest.

Visiting a nursery in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Mr Sunak insisted he wants the boats to stop "as soon as possible".

However, he added: "I also want to be honest with people that it is a complex problem."

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While numbers are down on last year, Tory MPs fear time is rapidly running before Brits take to the poll.

The Rwanda deportation scheme is still held up in the courts.

And migrants who were moved onto the Bibby Stockholm barge are still waiting to return to the vessel, having been removed after potentially deadly legionella bacteria was found.

Mr Sunak said: "I am not complacent. I never said this would be easy, I never said it could be fixed overnight.

"We are going to attack it from every angle and not stop until we are done."

He added: "We have got to stop the boats. That is why it is one of my five priorities. The current system is unsustainable and it is unfair.

"The best way to reduce pressure on local communities is to stop the number of people coming here in the first place."

The government is currently forking out around £6m every day to house illegal migrants in hotels.

But slowly they are being moved to alternative accommodation sites, including old military bases and vessels.

The PM said: "We can't have a situation where British taxpayers are forking out millions of pounds a day to house illegal migrants in hotels in local communities.

"We have got to find alternatives to that. That is what some of our large sites and the new barge are about."

Some MPs have called on Mr Sunak to remove the UK from the European Court of Human Rights.

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The court allows euro-judges to make rulings over how illegal migrants can be treated.

But today a No10 spokesperson said the PM is confident he can stop the boats while keeping Britain within the courts purview.