The British Labour Party plans to use anti-terrorism tactics to combat illegal migrant Channel crossings if it wins the next general election, due to take place later this year.
Labour leader Keir Starmer will visit Kent (on England’s south coast) to detail his plan to cut the crossings, which have risen sharply since the beginning of the year.
The incumbent Conservative Party has prioritised the fight against illegal immigration, introducing multiple measures to deter arrivals, including an extremely expensive plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.
Starmer has been critical of this approach and intends to drop it if Labour takes power, as polls have for months predicted will happen. He promises to replace “gimmicks with measures that really work.” His vision is to make the UK a “hostile environment” for smuggling networks orchestrating perilous Channel crossings on small vessels.
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Among the measures Starmer is set to announce are the establishment of an “elite command for border security”, increased border checks permitted under anti-terrorism laws, and new financial investigation powers to track down networks and organised crime.
Labour also commits to recruiting hundreds of new specialist investigators to fight smuggling in the UK and Europe.
More than 8,400 people have arrived in the UK on small boats since the start of the year, according to official figures, a significant increase compared to the same period last year.