Britain’s ability to stop illegal migrants crossing Channel depends on bad weather, admits Home Secretary
BRITAIN’S ability to stop illegal migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats depends on bad weather, the Home Secretary admitted yesterday.
Yvette Cooper said smuggling gangs are so strong the only big factor stopping their dangerous trade is wind and rain.
She admitted the situation is unacceptable and cannot continue.
This year is already on track to be the worst ever for illegal Channel crossings, with 6,642 so far — and more migrants in Calais telling The Sun they remain determined to come.
The number of arrivals since Labour came to power is set to top 30,000 this week, just as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosts an international summit on cracking down on people smuggling gangs.
In a speech in London today, he will say the trade “pits nations against one another” and “profits from our inability at the political level to come together”.
He is also expected to say: “When I was the Director of Public Prosecutions, we worked across borders throughout Europe and beyond to foil numerous plots, saving thousands of lives in the process.
“We prevented planes from being blown up over the Atlantic and brought the perpetrators to justice. I believe we should treat organised immigration crime in the same way.
“I simply do not believe organised immigration crime cannot be tackled.
“We’ve got to combine our resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream at every step.”
In an interview on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Ms Cooper said: “The really unacceptable situation that we’re in is because of the way the criminal gangs have taken hold, our border security ends up being dependent on the weather.
“We cannot continue like this, where the number of calm days affects the number of crossings.”
Ahead of the two-day summit, she said “only a coordinated international response” across the whole migration route could effectively end the reign of the people smugglers.
Yesterday, the Home Office announced nearly £1million of government funding will go towards supporting anti-smuggling operations in Iraq.
Earlier this year, the National Crime Agency worked with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s law enforcement on a joint operation for the first time ever.
It resulted in the arrest of three high-profile members of a people smuggling network impacting the UK.
Minister for Security Dan Jarvis said: “Criminal ‘lords’ in Iraq who had previously thought themselves untouchable are now being sent a clear message that their abhorrent business model will fail.”
Government adverts are also being launched on Zalo, a Vietnamese messaging and social platform with over 77million monthly users, to discourage migrants travelling to the UK.
But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour should “hang their heads in shame”, saying: “After cancelling the Rwanda removals deterrent before it even started, all Starmer has left to protect our borders is to pray for rough weather in the Channel. This is a pathetic approach to border control.”
The previous Tory government’s Rwanda plan would have seen illegal migrants resettled in Africa.
Some 29,884 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel since the election, despite Labour’s pledge to crack down on the gangs making fortunes from the trade.
And it emerged a fifth of small boat migrants who applied for asylum failed to follow basic rules last year — sparking fears thousands are disappearing inside Britain.
Yesterday at Loon-Plage camp, Calais, a string of would-be boat crossers told The Sun they will try to make the perilous journey, whatever the weather.
Afghan Ali Hussein, 29, said: “I will take the risk even in bad weather. It’s worth it to get to the UK.”
A Syrian man, who gave his name as Badar, said: “I would still try in rain or wind. I have tried twice in one week.”
And Mustapha, 19, from South Sudan, said: “I will go on any boat they offer me. There could be one chance and then I don’t get to go.”