The UK government plans to create a UK Border Security Command in an effort to reduce the number of small boat crossings in the English Channel. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the start of the recruitment process for an exceptional leader to head the body, which is expected to bring together the intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies. The government is also preparing a bill to create counter-terror powers to combat organised immigration crime.
The Border Security Command is the Labour party’s alternative plan to the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan, which was recently scrapped by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. During the election campaign, the Labour party promised to divert £75m from the Rwanda policy to set up the Border Security Command. However, the Conservatives have dismissed the proposal, stating that it would do precisely what the government’s small boat operation is already doing.
Cooper said that the creation of a new Border Security Commander and the new cross-border police team would represent a “major upgrade in law enforcement” and help tackle the smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings. She also said that she would commission an investigation into the routes, methods, and tactics that the smuggling gangs use to help inform her approach.
The number of immigrants and asylum seekers attempting to enter the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats has been increasing since 2018. According to reports, more than 29,000 people attempted the dangerous journey in 2023, and as of 26 June, 13,195 people had already come to the UK via small boat crossings in 2024, which is higher than the numbers for the same period in the previous four years. While the numbers are relatively small compared to legal migration figures, the government still sees it as a challenge and is determined to combat organised immigration crime
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