Latest news with #smallboatmigrants
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
People-smuggling arrests fall despite Starmer's pledge to ‘smash the gangs'
Arrests for organised immigration crime by the UK's National Crime Agency fell by 16 per cent to 192 in the year to April, despite Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to 'smash the gangs'. The number of small boat migrants arriving in the UK has now surpassed 50,000, with a 47 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Opposition figures and a Labour MP have criticised the government's handling of the issue, with Robert Jenrick saying 'it's never been easier to be a people smuggler'. The National Crime Agency said it has dedicated more resources and achieved a record 347 disruptions against people smugglers. Experts suggest scaling up the UK-France 'one in, one out' swap deal for migrants as a more viable solution, as 14 people have already died this year attempting Channel crossings.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Starmer accused of ‘abject failure' as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour
People smuggling arrests by the UK's organised crime agency have fallen under Labour, despite Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to "smash the gangs", as the number of small boat migrants arriving since he took charge soars past 50,000. The latest National Crime Agency (NCA) data shows 192 people were arrested for organised immigration crime in the year to April – down 16 per cent from 229 under the Tory government the previous year. Labour has faced growing criticism over its failure to cut the number of people making the perilous crossing, with education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith admitting the figures were 'unacceptable'. Former Tory immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the latest arrest figures proved 'it's never been easier to be a people smuggler', while former home secretary Chris Philp said they proved Starmer's big talk about smashing the gangs has been an 'abject failure'. It comes as the government ramps up its efforts to tackle the issue amid growing public anger, which has sparked a series of violent protests outside migrant hotels across the country. The prime minister has adopted a hardline approach on immigration, with a string of new measures announced, as he tries to win back voters and fend off the surge in popularity from Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Earlier this year, Yvette Cooper announced an extra £100m to tackle people-smuggling gangs, including 300 more staff at the NCA ' focused on intelligence targeting crime gang members'. And last week, Sir Keir confirmed that the first migrants had been detained under the new 'one in, one out' swap deal between the UK and France – although none have yet been sent back to Europe. The Home Office has also expanded its 'deport now, appeal later' scheme, which sees foreign criminals deported before their appeals have been heard. Despite the fall in people smuggling arrests last year, the NCA said it has "dedicated more resources than ever before' to tackling the threat from organised immigration crime. NCA acting deputy director Dan Barcroft said: 'Arrests on their own are not the only way to judge impact. We have also achieved record numbers of disruptions against people smugglers – 347 last year, up almost a third - each of which will have removed, prevented or reduced a criminal threat.' 'Arrest figures may fluctuate, but over the last four years the NCA has been involved in more than 900 arrests relating to organised immigration crime in the UK and overseas.' The Home Office told The Independent that further people smuggling arrests have been made by Immigration Enforcement and police forces, but refused to share any details. A spokesman said: 'We are taking firm and targeted action to dismantle the organised criminal networks responsible for dangerous small boat crossings – networks that put vulnerable lives at risk and undermine border security.' Reacting to the figures, Mr Jenrick said: 'Starmer said he'd smash the gangs but arrests of people smugglers are down and record numbers of migrants have crossed this year. For all of Starmer's talk, it's never been easier to be a people smuggler.' A Labour MP on the right of the party told The Independent they were 'frustrated' by the government's pace of action. They said: 'The public think we're basically not doing anything and don't believe smashing the gangs will make any material difference. And so far, their suspicions are being borne out by the facts. We have to move heaven and earth to get and show we have control.' Over the past decade, the NCA has been involved in over 2,200 arrests linked to immigration crime in the UK and overseas, with a 93 per cent conviction rate. While the figures do not exclusively cover small boat migration, a large proportion of such crimes involve bringing people across the Channel. This includes arrests across the people smuggling operations chain, from those who supply small boats to lorry drivers illegally ferrying migrants. The NCA told The Independent it is currently leading 91 investigations into organised immigration crime. Despite lower arrest numbers, the NCA said its increased disruptions 'reflect a move towards taking the fight to gangs upstream, focusing on the highest harm networks, and hitting them where the impact on their business will be greater'. One such example last month saw the NCA and Bulgarian law enforcement seize 25 inflatable boats set for use by people smugglers crossing the Channel. Sunder Kutwala, director at the British Future thinktank, said the government's best shot at tackling the problem is to scale up the one-in-one-out deal with France to 500 or 1,000 people a week. 'If [people smuggling] is a lucrative business, and the barriers to entry are pretty low and the cost of getting your dinghy slashed is quite low – or getting low-level operatives arrested is low – you'll always get new entries to the market' he told The Independent. 'The government has now got a shot at establishing the returns deal and, with enforcement, it looks more viable than any of these offshoring models [like Rwanda]. If I was the government, I would [scale up] quickly not slowly.' The number of migrants crossing into the UK by small boats is up 47 per cent from the same time last year, at record levels. Fourteen people have already died this year trying to cross into the UK, with the highest on record (73) last year, and a woman, 30, died on Monday while trying to board a boat attempting to make the crossing to the UK from Dunkirk. The Mayor of Dunkirk, Patrice Vergriete, said that the situation "can't stand much longer". He called for the creation of a "legal immigration route to the UK" saying "our coastline is a daily witness to an absurd, ineffective and terribly cruel management of the migration crisis".
Bloomberg
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
UK Detains First Migrants Under Returns Treaty With France
The UK has detained the first small-boat migrants under a 'one in, one out' returns treaty with France, as pressure grows on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to stem the influx of asylum-seekers across the English Channel. An unspecified number of migrants who arrived by boat on Monday are being held in an immigration removal center, the Home Office said in a statement, pending their removal to France. The UK plans to make referrals to France within three days, and France will have 14 days to respond.
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Fury as bungling Cabinet Minister claims most small boat migrants are women and children – despite majority being men
A BUNGLING Cabinet Minister has sparked fury for claiming most small boat migrants are women and children. Darren Jones was today accused of being 'completely out of touch with reality' given the overwhelming majority of Channel crossers are adult men. 3 Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury made the bizarre assertion on Question Time, leaving the audience groaning in disbelief. The debate on illegal migration saw him claim 'the majority of the people in these boats are children, babies and women'. Home Office figures show that 73 per cent of all Channel arrivals since 2018 have been adult males. Incredibly, Downing Street yesterday repeatedly refused to correct Mr Jones' comments. Asked if the government was 'gaslighting Britain', Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said: 'Our focus is on tackling the gangs.' Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted: 'Darren Jones is completely out of touch with reality. 'Since 2018, 73 per cent of small boat arrivals have been single adult men. Yet Labour MPs like Jones still push the fairytale that these boats are full of women and babies. 'It's a dangerous distortion of the truth. No wonder this is shaping up to be the worst year on record for small boat crossings. 'If this is what passes for reality inside the Labour Government, Britain is in serious trouble.' Nigel Farage branded Mr Jones "another clueless Labour minister" More than 15,000 small boat migrants have crossed the Channel already this year - a record number. And more than 150,000 have come since 2018 when the crisis erupted. It comes after Rachel Reeves yesterday admitted she has no clue where Channel migrants will go instead of hotels. The Chancellor has vowed to scrap their 'costly' use within four years as part of her spending review — but could not say what would replace them. Pressed on where arrivals would be housed, she passed the buck to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Ms Reeves told Times Radio: 'Well, I'm not going to be providing accommodation. "That's for the Home Office to do. 'But the wasteful spending on the most expensive form of accommodation is a terrible use of taxpayers' money.' 3
