He sees England as a ‘dream’ country and wants to build a career in the UK.
A migrant called John has explained why he wants to come to the UK. (Image: Sky News/Getty)
A migrant has said that it is his destiny to come to Britain because he has always felt English. John, 18, from South Sudan said he left the nation that was gripped by civil war when he was 16, and reaching the UK is his destiny. It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to reach a “one in, one out” deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is visiting Britain for a state visit this week.
The pact would be in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link. Mr Macron promised MPs and peers in Westminster yesterday that he would deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a “burden” to both countries. He added that France and the UK have a “shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness”.
Keir Starmer welcomed Macron to the UK for a state visit this week. (Image: Getty)
John told Sky News: “England is my dream country. It has been my dream since I was at school.
“It’s the country that colonised us and when I get there, I will feel like I am home.
“In England, they can give me an opportunity to succeed or to do whatever I need to do in my life. I feel like I am an English child, who was born in Africa.”
John added that he would like to start a career in the UK, and would like to work as a journalist or in human resources.
He was at pains to insist he will work hard, it was reported.
Migrants are crossing to the UK via the English Channel. (Image: Getty)
Crossing to England on a small boat was dismissed by John as an inconvenience, when compared with the previous hardships he said he had endured during his journey.
The South Sudanese civil war was fought between 2013 and 2020 between government forces and and opposition groups.
The conflict has resulted in nearly 400,000 excess deaths in the country, according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
In 1899, the British Empire, in a joint venture with Egypt, established the Anglo-Egyptian condominium of Sudan, etsablishing their control of the country.
It acheived independence from colonial rule on in 1956. After a decades-long civil war, South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan on in 2011 following a referendum.
