Sir Keir Starmer has said 24,000 people who “have no right to be here” have been returned since Labour took power during a speech at a government border security summit held earlier today (31).
The Prime Minister said this was the highest returns rate for eight years.
He was speaking at the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, where over 40 countries and organisations have come together to agree new action to smash people-smuggling gangs.
At the Summit the Prime Minister set out how he will be giving law enforcement tougher powers than ever to smash the smuggling gangs, ramping up removals to record levels, surging illegal working raids to end the false promise of jobs used by gangs to sell spaces on boats and leading a renewed international law enforcement effort.
The PM said: “Immigration crime funds the vile people-smuggling gangs that trade in human misery, breach our borders and threaten Britain’s economic security. This government is taking back control, doing the hard graft needed to deliver results, working with our international allies to smash these gangs and secure our borders.
“We’ve already removed more than 24,000 people with no right to be here and we’re finally shutting down exploitative illegal working, dismantling criminal networks, while forcing people-smuggling gangs out of business.
“For too long, the UK was a soft touch. That ends now. No more gimmicks, no empty promises, just serious action for British security.”
This is backed by landmark legislation through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, giving new powers to seize migrants’ phones to identify smugglers, criminalise those who endanger lives at sea, and ensure every business carries out right-to-work checks – ending the exploitation of illegal labour for good.
Senior Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart told Sky News on Sunday that the Labour government should not have scrapped the Rwanda deportation plan when it came to power.
He said the programme, which was aimed at deterring people from making the journey across the English Channel in small boats, had been “ready to go” but that there was now “no deterrent” in place.
