Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, has asserted that people-smuggling should be regarded with the same gravity as terrorism. He made this statement in
anticipation of discussions concerning a new security agreement with Europe.
During a visit to The Hague, Sir Keir will seek a preliminary agreement with Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, which would be applicable under any future Labour government. His objective is to secure a comprehensive deal that encompasses a replacement for the EU's live police data and intelligence-sharing system.
A government source dismissed Sir Keir's proposal as a recycling of existing policies.
Sir Keir emphasized, "The government's inability to combat the criminal smuggling networks orchestrating illicit boat crossings is so profound that, in my view, it should be treated on the same level as the other three major security threats we face: climate change, hostile foreign powers, and terrorism."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has identified "stopping the boats" as a top priority and recently enacted legislation in pursuit of this goal.
In 2022, a total of 45,755 migrants crossed the English Channel, marking the highest figure since data collection began in 2018. According to the latest statistics, 20,101 people have made the crossing so far this year.
In an op-ed for The Sun newspaper, the Labour leader accused the government of inadvertently nurturing a "criminal industry" revolving around human traffickers who organize small boat journeys for migrants across the Channel.
Sir Keir stressed, "Just because we are no longer part of the EU does not mean we cannot take a leading role in Europe."
He intends to outline his proposals for a cross-border law enforcement unit aimed at combating smuggling networks during a meeting with senior Europol officials on Thursday.
Labour has previously pledged to abandon government plans to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda, opting instead to allocate more resources to the National Crime Agency, which conducts operations against traffickers.
Brexit resulted in the UK losing its seat on the Europol board and access to shared intelligence databases. Although an agreement between the EU and the UK partially replaced some previous arrangements, including a new surrender agreement for the transfer of serious criminals between the two regions, concerns have been raised by senior police officials about the efficiency of the post-Brexit replacement for the EU's criminal database, known as the Schengen Information System (SIS II), compared to its predecessor, I-24/7.
The government has committed to enhancing other shared databases in the coming years.
Sir Keir asserted, "The stark reality is that foreign criminal smuggling networks on the continent are effectively running Britain's borders and immigration system."
He added, "My Labour government will be unwavering in its determination to dismantle these networks and secure the UK's borders."
Conservative sources have accused Labour of insincerity, asserting that bolstering law enforcement alone would not suffice to resolve the small boat crisis. A government source characterized Sir Keir's plan as "simply an attempt to deceive the British public" and emphasized the necessity of a removals and deterrence program, similar to Rwanda, to deter people from making the journey in the first place. Photo by Chatham House, Wikimedia commons.