Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has revealed that if he comes to power, he will use counter-terrorism tactics to “smash” smuggling gangs. He made the announcement in Dover, Kent, where he was accompanied by newly defected Labour MP, Natalie Elphicke. Elphicke had earlier criticized her former party, the Conservatives, and accused their former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, of failing to properly deal with the issue of small boat crossings. Sir Keir’s plans include setting up a new Border Security Command, which will include specialist officers to tackle gangs involved in small boat crossings.
At the announcement, the Conservatives dismissed the plans, calling them a “re-brand” of existing government schemes. The shadow Chancellor said that the government’s decision to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda would be cancelled if Labour came to power. The government has defended the policy, saying that it acts as a deterrent to illegal crossings, though no deportation flights have taken off yet, as the scheme has been delayed by legal challenges. Sir Keir said that the policy would not work, as he believes that the UK’s asylum system needs a complete overhaul.
Labor has pledged to spend £75m from the money earmarked for the Rwanda scheme in the first year, to create the new Border Security Command. The office will include Immigration Enforcement, the National Crime Agency, MI5, and the Crown Prosecution Service, under one umbrella. Counter-terrorism powers will also be extended to cover organized immigration crime, including the power to search people suspected of smuggling, restrict travel, and close bank accounts.
Former counterterrorism chief Neil Basu supported Sir Keir’s plans, calling them practical and saying that he was heartened to see them being adopted. Peter Walsh, from Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said that the plan was unlikely to achieve much, as it looked very similar to the current military-led force tasked with stopping unauthorized entry into the UK via the channel, and the devil would be in the details.
According to provisional Home Office figures, nearly 9,000 people have made the crossing from France to the UK in small boats this year, up by 32% on last year. The new Border Security Command will hire hundreds more investigators and cross-border police, according to Labour. The unit will be led by an ex-police, military, or intelligence chief, who will report to the home secretary. Home Secretary James Cleverly accused the plan of failing to deter migrants from attempting the crossing
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