Victoria Derbyshire Skewers Minister As She Dodges 6 Questions On Labour Immigration Pledge
A Labour minister dodged six questions on one of her party’s key election pledges as she was skewered by Victoria Derbyshire.
Jacqui Smith was repeatedly asked how many human trafficking gangs have been “smashed” since the general election.
Keir Starmer made the policy a central plank of his election campaign amid pressure from voters to stop asylum seekers coming to the UK on small boats across the English Channel.
On Newsnight on Monday, Derbyshire asked Smith: “Labour didn’t promise to stop the boats, but it did promise to smash the gangs who facilitate those dangerous Channel crossings. How many gangs have you smashed so far?”
The Home Office minister replied: “Well, just going through Parliament today, is new legislation to enable counter-terrorism type powers to enable law enforcement to get in earlier.”
But the presenter asked again: “So how many gangs have you smashed so far?”
Smith said it there was “ongoing law enforcement activity” around the issue, prompting Derbyshire to ask: “Is it 50? Is it 10? Is is it zero?”
The minister said: “We’re already beginning to make progress on that, both through putting through the legislation that’s necessary in order to have the law enforcement to smash those gangs, also international arrangements to enable us to work more effectively, for example, with France, where we’re all ready seeing the results.”
Derbyshire then asked again: “Just so I’m clear, have you smashed any gangs?”
Avoiding giving a straight answer once more, Smith said: “I have no doubt that the work that we’re already doing has begun to disrupt that activity.”
The presenter replied: “So how many?”
Smith told her: “I understand the frustration. I understand your question.”
Derbyshire said: “I’m simply asking, do you know how many gangs have been smashed and you haven’t been able to tell me.”
But the minister insisted the government was “taking the action, for example the legislation going through parliament”.
According to the Home Office’s own data, 58 asylum seekers crossed the Channel on Saturday, with a further 232 on Sunday.
More than 10,000 have so far made the perilous journey this year, up 40% on the same time last year.
"How many gangs have you 'smashed' so far?"
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) May 12, 2025
Victoria Derbyshire asks Skills Minister Baroness Smith what the government have done to crack down on small boat crossings.#Newsnightpic.twitter.com/EmEMNLQUKL