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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Smash the gangs': is Labour's migration policy just a slogan?
At 5.30am on Tuesday, six immigration enforcement officers and a BBC TV crew gathered in a deserted B&Q car park near Sheffield's railway station, waiting in the rain for a call from London that would trigger simultaneous arrests of suspected people smugglers in six towns. Forty minutes later, the Home Office staff drove in convoy to a nearby residential block (followed by the BBC and the Guardian), made their way up the stairs carrying a red battering ram, ready to smash the suspect's door down. The equipment wasn't needed, because the man, barefoot in his checked pyjamas, opened the door and let the team inside. He was given a few moments to get dressed, before being taken silently in handcuffs to the van outside, sweat running down his face. Footage of the wider operation was broadcast that night on the BBC and also ITV News at 10, with the security minister, Dan Jarvis, in Cheltenham, wearing a black immigration enforcement stab vest, observing another of the six linked arrests. Keir Starmer posted photographs of the raids on X, tersely announcing: 'When I said we would smash the people smuggling gangs, I meant it.' It was a useful bit of positive messaging, carefully facilitated by the Home Office press office, in a week when ministers have been confronted with uncomfortable evidence that their efforts to prevent the arrival of small boats are flailing just as spectacularly as those of the last government. Last Saturday 1,195 people arrived in the UK on 18 small boats, the highest number of arrivals this year, bringing the provisional total for 2025 to 14,811; 42% higher than the same point last year (10,448) and 95% up from the same point in 2023 (7,610). The defence secretary, John Healey, said Britain had 'lost control of its borders over the last five years'. The Home Office tried to explain the rising numbers by releasing figures showing that the number of 'red days' – when weather conditions are favourable for small boats crossings – peaked in 2024-25. Conservative opposition MPs accused the government of 'blaming the weather'. 'Public opinion won't put up with this,' the Reform UK party leader, Nigel Farage, told GB News, urging the government again to declare a national emergency on illegal immigration. With Reform's popularity ratings surging, the government is under enormous political pressure to show that its much-advertised 'smash the gangs' policy is beginning to work. Last week's raids were flagged as an anti-gangs success, but they turned out to be entirely unconnected to people smuggling in small boats. The six people who were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry are believed to have helped at least 200 Botswana nationals to travel to the UK by plane on tourist visas, and to have assisted them with false documentation on arrival to claim asylum or to get work in care homes. The criminal and financial investigation unit of the Home Office's immigration enforcement team said this was one of the department's top 10 immigration investigations, ranked by potential financial gain, number of people involved and risk of harm to victims exploited by the gang. Reminding the home secretary that small boat crossings were 'one of the biggest challenges your department faces', the Labour MP Chris Murray asked Yvette Cooper at a home affairs select committee hearing: 'Can you tell us how many gangs you've smashed so far?' The home secretary gave some details about the arrests that morning, prompting Murray to respond with enthusiasm: 'When I asked that question, I did not expect you to say you had smashed a gang today!' In its manifesto, Labour made it clear that the policy of launching a new border security command with hundreds of new specialist investigators using counter-terror powers was designed to 'smash criminal boat gangs'. The arrests may have represented a significant development for Home Office staff trying to crack down on the exploitation of vulnerable people trafficked into the UK and criminalised by being forced to work illegally, but packaging this as a major breakthrough in the smash the gangs drive has prompted some raised eyebrows. One former Home Office official described taking TV cameras to these arrests as a sleight of hand, a PR exercise designed to detract attention from a small boats policy that he said had so far been a 'damp squib'. Peter Walsh, a senior researcher with the migration observatory at Oxford University, said the government should be given some leeway because the border security, asylum and immigration bill, which will bring in the much-trailed counter-terror style powers to help identify and control smuggling gangs, has not yet been passed. 'Overall it's too early to evaluate their 'smash the gangs' policy, because the main legislative developments are in that bill,' he said. 'But it would be difficult to describe whatever has been done operationally so far to disrupt smuggling networks as a success, because the numbers [of small boats] have gone up.' Starmer's catchy 'smash the gangs' slogan risks becoming almost as much of a millstone as his predecessor Rishi Sunak's commitment to 'stop the boats'. Sunak's pledge was described as impossible to achieve the moment he announced it, but he continued to put out videos repeating his promise, and gave immigration control speeches standing behind a lectern with a 'stop the boats' logo. Labour may eventually be able to show some progress on dismantling organised people smuggling operations by citing rising arrest figures. The Home Office press office said that, from July to November 2024, its immigration enforcement teams have convicted 53 people smugglers, including 23 individuals for piloting small boats, leading to more than 52 years in sentences. But Walsh questioned whether these arrests would have a discernible impact on the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. 'It doesn't require substantial investment in training and skills to have a functional smuggler on the ground, getting boats into the water in Calais, getting people into boats. But it takes a lot of resources to investigate them and bring them to justice. One of the major challenges is that lower-level smugglers can quickly be replaced,' Walsh said, pointing, as a comparison, to the speed with which gangs dealing drugs hire new recruits to replace those arrested. 'Smuggling networks are adaptable. They're increasingly well financed and decentralised. Senior figures operate in countries like Afghanistan, where we have minimal or no law enforcement cooperation.' Campaigners for an overhaul of the asylum system have been dismayed by Labour's resolutely tough rhetoric on those crossing the Channel illegally, which often fails to acknowledge that many arrivals are coming from war-torn nations such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea. This week, a research paper published by Border Criminologies and the Centre for Criminology at the University of Oxford found that hundreds of those imprisoned for arriving in the UK on small boats since 2022 were refugees and victims of trafficking and torture, in breach of international law. It said at least 17 children had been arrested and charged with 'facilitation', for having their hand on the tiller of a dinghy. Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the government should 'dial down the rhetoric', and adopt a quieter multi-pronged approach, cooperating more deeply with France and other European countries, undermining the business model of the gangs by creating safe and legal routes for people to apply for asylum in the UK. 'The more you make announcements on a week-by-week basis, the more you give the impression to the public that you're going to fix the problem very quickly, so you end up falling into the trap of damaging trust because you're overpromising and underdelivering,' he said. It is a message that Starmer's comms team has yet to learn. In a second tweet on the subject of smashing the gangs in the space of 24 hours this week, the prime minister announced: 'My government is ramping up our efforts to smash the gangs at their source.' Attached was a video montage of boats, barbed wire, police vans and men being arrested, overlaid with the words (in emphatic capitals) 'OUR PLAN IS WORKING'.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Islamophobia fears ‘help Iranian propaganda spread in Britain'
Iran has 'leveraged' fears of offending Islamic communities to establish an extensive propaganda network in Britain, a report has warned. Research by the US-based National Union for Democracy in Iran (Nufdi) found that the UK has become a 'flashpoint' for influence operations in Europe by the Iranian regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It listed more than a dozen organisations which it claims are directly linked to Tehran and advance its agenda by lobbying organisations and MPs. The report comes after Dan Jarvis, the security minister, warned that Iran is becoming 'increasingly emboldened' and 'aggressive' in its actions in the UK. Nufdi campaigns for a democratic and secular Iran and holds an annual Iran conference in Washington DC. In the report, it warned that Tehran is exerting increasing influence in an 'attempt to influence the British populace to adopt an appeasement policy'. It said this included efforts to 'radicalise the pre-existing diaspora' and UK nationals and 'whitewash the actions' via organisations like cultural centres. 'These cultural centres enjoy the benefits of being protected by their religious/quasi-religious status and have become deeply rooted in several of the diaspora communities within the UK,' the group warned. 'The regime's influence within the cultural realm is particularly difficult to combat due to its leveraging minority Islamic communities and a perception of innocence, appearing as an institution fostering cooperation and community.' The report cited several examples of cultural centres in Britain hosting lectures by IRGC commanders. As well as cultural centres, Tehran's influence extended to the lobbying of politicians and 'a robust and deep-rooted educational network', it added. 'Whether it is... an inability of the Home Office to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, or operating a vast network of propaganda centres masquerading as cultural centres, the IRI's [Islamic Republic of Iran] influence within the United Kingdom is vast… and highly effective,' the report concluded. Earlier this year, Mr Jarvis warned Parliament of an increasing threat from Iranian activities in the UK. He cited figures from MI5, which revealed that since the start of 2022, security services have had to respond to 20 Iran-backed plots against British citizens and residents. 'The regime has become increasingly emboldened, asserting itself more aggressively to advance their objectives and undermine ours,' he told MPs. 'This is evidenced by the fact that direct action against UK targets has substantially increased over recent years.' The Government has not proscribed the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, despite calls for it to do so, for fear of cutting off diplomatic ties with Iran. It has however, put the group on the enhanced tier of a new foreign agents registration scheme, meaning Iranian activities in the UK face greater scrutiny.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Six arrested on suspicion of smuggling hundreds of migrants into UK to work in care homes
Six people suspected of illegally smuggling hundreds of migrants into the UK to work in care homes have been arrested. An alleged organised crime boss was among those apprehended in a series of dawn raids on Tuesday morning. The group is accused of unlawfully bringing 200 Botswana nationals into Britain over a two-year period, leading them into a life of fraud and exploitation. They are believed to have assisted the migrants with illegal employment in care homes, despite them having no adequate training or medical expertise, the Home Office said. Five men and one woman were arrested in raids in Cheltenham, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Bradford. The lead suspect, a 37-year-old Botswana national, was arrested in Cheltenham on suspicion of assisting and planning the illegal entry of migrants into the UK. They are accused of assisting migrants in submitting false asylum claims using fake documents and helping them gain employment illegally. Officers acted on intelligence that suggested the lead people-smuggler was exploiting Botswanan nationals he lured to Britain under false pretences allegedly forcing them to do unpaid work. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: 'I want to commend the dedication and professionalism of our criminal investigators and Immigration Enforcement officers for these significant arrests. Their tireless efforts have disrupted criminal networks that profit from exploiting vulnerable individuals and undermining our immigration system. 'This operation demonstrates that we will use the full force of the law against those who facilitate illegal entry into the UK for exploitation. 'Our enforcement teams work day and night to protect our borders and communities from harm, and this successful operation is testament to their commitment. 'The Government remains resolute in our approach to tackle illegal migration and the criminal enterprises that enable it, and through our Plan for Change will continue to restore order to the asylum system that collapsed in recent years." Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations lead, Phillip Parr, added: 'This is one of our highest priority investigations due to the scale of the threat, the number of people believed to be involved, the immense harm these victims are potentially at risk of, and the amount of financial gain the suspects stand to make.' One man from Botswana aged 37, two Zimbabwean men aged 39 and 50, two British men aged 36 and 46, and a British woman aged 33 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to do an act to help an asylum seeker enter the UK and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Suspected people-smuggling gang arrested in raids
Six people suspected to be part of a people-smuggling gang supplying fake identities to illegal migrants have been arrested. The Home Office said that five men and one women were arrested in dawn raids on Tuesday in Cheltenham, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Bradford. The lead suspect, a 37-year-old Botswana national, was arrested in Cheltenham on suspicion of assisting and planning the illegal entry of more than 200 migrants from Botswana into the UK. The Home Office said the suspects are thought to be involved in a criminal network exploiting vulnerable people by making them work in the care sector without proper training. Chief immigration officer Mick Wilson said it was thought the gang had brought up to 200 people into the country illegally over the last two years. "Our objective is to arrest those who are involved, who were making money out of the facilitation, and also providing them with false documents and false identities," he said. Once in the country, it is believed the suspected gang submitted false asylum claims using fake documents. They are also believed to have helped migrants get jobs in care homes, despite them not having adequate training. As well as the man arrested in Cheltenham, a British man aged 36 was detained in Sheffield, a 33-year-old woman in Oldham and another man, aged 46, in Bradford. Two further men, aged 39 and 50, were arrested in Swinton and Nottingham respectively. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to help asylum seekers enter the UK, and conspiracy to breach UK immigration law. The arrests come as part of the Labour government's Plan for Change, which was launched to target people-smuggling gangs. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: "This operation demonstrates that we will use the full force of the law against those who facilitate illegal entry into the UK for exploitation." Immigration enforcement criminal and financial investigation inspector Phillip Parr said: "There is no place for those who profit from human misery, and we will continue to use all available powers to pursue and prosecute those involved in these despicable crimes." Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Labour's immigration plans at a glance Thirty-five arrested in people smuggling crackdown Lorry driver disputes fine over stowaway immigrants Home Office
The Irish Sun
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Iranian suspect held over alleged plot to target Israel embassy may be small boat migrant
ONE of the Iranian suspects held over an alleged plot to target the Israeli embassy in London may be a small boat migrant, officials believe. Concerns that he crossed the Channel illegally before claiming asylum have stoked fears over who else may have used the route to slip into the UK. Advertisement 3 The Israeli Embassy in west London was reportedly the target of a terror plot Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 Heavily-armed police led a shirtless man away from a house in Rochdale Credit: MEN MEDIA 3 One of the Iranian suspects held over an alleged plot to target the Israeli embassy in London may be a small boat migrant, officials believe (stock photo) Credit: AFP A source told The Sun: 'These claims have shocked the counter- terror team who have reported it up their chain of command. 'It has also sent shockwaves around Whitehall and those at the top of government. If proven, it just shows the problems we are facing. 'Normally a terrorist might be sent posing as a tourist with a false passport, but advances in biometrics have made that more difficult. 'The team think at least one of the group is a small boat migrant — and it could be that more than one is. Advertisement Read More on UK News 'It has long been a fear that the route from Calais and Dunkirk to here would be exploited by terrorists and criminals. 'And the fact that at least one of those involved in the most serious plot we have faced in this country for a long time could be a small boat migrant is a massive headache.' They added: 'This has come up during questioning and background checks and is extremely concerning. 'It is particularly worrying if this is state-sponsored by Iran and that leaders there could be exploiting this route. This will pile pressure on the Government to get tough and do something to sort this mess out.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Almost 11,000 Iran's deadly Shahed drone revealed - we get look inside weapon of terror One is said to have close ties to A fifth Iranian suspect was released on bail. Advertisement An attack was feared to be just hours away, and Special Forces were called in to help police. The Israeli embassy in Kensington, Home Secretary Security minister Dan Jarvis has described the arrest of the alleged plotters — and of three men suspected of spying — as 'some of the largest counter-state threats and counter-terrorism actions we have seen in recent times'. Advertisement It has been reported that asylum hotels were searched as part of the operation. Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said the investigation was 'significant and highly complex'. The Home Office has not commented. Advertisement
