The government would do better to focus on improving the existing system. Investments in staffing and technology are needed to clear the Home Office’s backlog of nearly 100,000 asylum claims, which is costing taxpayers £5.6 million ($6.6 million) per day on accommodations for migrant arrivals. The government should allow asylum-seekers to work while their claims are being processed, affording them a basic dignity while filling labor shortages.

A change of tone would also help. Claims that the country is experiencing a migrant “invasion” have only made it harder to gain support for practical solutions. Sunak has made more effort to cooperate with French President Emmanuel Macron on such challenges — including signing a deal on Monday intended to reduce illegal Channel crossings — but not enough to replace the more effective arrangements that had prevailed before Brexit.