Keir Starmer is accused of ‘surrendering’ to people-smuggling gangs – as greater than 15,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats since Labour took energy
Small-boat arrivals have surged past 15,000 since Labour took power, sparking accusations that Sir Keir Starmer has ‘surrendered’ to people-smuggling gangs.
Official figures showed yesterday that 15,071 asylum seekers on 266 Channel boats arrived on British shores between July 5, the day after the election, and Wednesday.
The tally is slightly up on the number of arrivals (15,068) over the same period (July 5-October 23) last year. It brings the total for this year up to 28,654, a rise of 8 per cent.
Among the staggering tally was a daily record of 973 migrants who completed the dangerous crossing on October 5.
The figures lay bare the Prime Minister’s pledge to get a grip of the issue quickly.
Keir Starmer attends a State Banquet during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, on October 24, 2024
Dozens of migrants have been brought to shore by British Border Force officers on Wednesday after being intercepted in the Channel
Official figures showed yesterday that 15,071 asylum seekers on 266 Channel boats arrived on British shores between July 5, the day after the election, and Wednesday
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard an RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat, following a small boat incident in the Channel in August
They also suggest former Tory PM Rishi Sunak was right to claim during the Election campaign that thousands of migrants were ‘queueing up’ in Calais in anticipation of an incoming Labour government, which had promised to ditch the Rwanda scheme.
Scrapping the Tories’ planned deportation deterrent was one of Sir Keir’s first acts as PM. Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick said: ‘Four months in and Labour’s plans are in disarray.
‘Their decision to scrap, not strengthen, the Rwanda scheme has backfired – and now they’re planning on using expensive hotels for another three years. Starmer talks of smashing the gangs, but really he has surrendered to them.’
Sir Keir has launched a new Border Security Command, headed by former police chief Martin Hewitt, to tackle smuggling gangs.
However, critics say it relies too heavily on co-operation with European leaders such as French president Emmanuel Macron, who it is feared is happy effectively to wave migrants through to punish Britain for Brexit.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, from the RNLI Dover Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel earlier this month
In its manifesto, Labour said it would set up a returns and enforcement unit, with an additional 1,000 staff, to fast-track removals to safe countries for people who do not have the right to stay here.
However, earlier this month ministers effectively admitted they may not stop the boats until 2036 after they advertised contracts worth more than £500million for managing small-boat migrants.
It also emerged that migrants could be housed in hotels for up to three more years because of an asylum backlog.
