OPINION
Keir Starmer's huge U-turn on key issue lays bare Labour Party hypocrisy (Image: Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)
"Smash the gangs!" That’s what Labour would have you believe they are doing. In truth, they have done nothing of the sort. Illegal migration continues to spiral out of control, and the latest figures are damning — over 5,500 migrants have arrived via small boat crossings this year alone, a record-breaking number. For all their tough talk, Labour is failing miserably, and the British people are left to foot the bill.
Labour’s so-called solution? A thinly veiled rehash of the Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme, just with a different name and a few cosmetic changes. Instead of Rwanda, Labour now proposes sending failed asylum seekers to detention centres in the Western Balkan — Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, and North Macedonia. The hypocrisy is staggering. Labour scrapped the Rwanda deal, which taxpayers had already paid for, without even allowing it to be tested.
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Now, with their poll numbers sinking and Reform UK breathing down their necks, they suddenly realise they need to be seen doing something.
But is this yet another exercise in posturing, or will Labour actually deliver results? Don’t hold your breath.
The so-called “return hubs” that Labour is floating bear an uncanny resemblance to the scheme they mocked and dismantled.
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The difference? Rwanda was dismissed as “unsafe” by Labour, yet they now expect the public to believe that detention centres over 1,000 miles away in the Balkans are a credible solution. The contradiction is laughable.
But let’s be clear: even if Labour’s plan were implemented, it would not stop the boats. Just as Rwanda failed to deter crossings before it was axed, the prospect of being sent to a “return hub” in Albania will not prevent migrants from making the dangerous journey.
The reality is simple — Labour lacks the political will to address the root cause of this crisis. Instead of tackling illegal migration head-on by securing our borders. They are recycling failed policies and hoping the public won’t notice.
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And what has Labour’s dithering and inaction achieved? Britain’s border security is now an international laughing stock.
A staggering 85,000 migrants have failed in their asylum claims after exhausting every legal avenue. In total, there are estimated to be over 1.2 million illegal immigrants in the country — an astonishing number that costs British taxpayers billions each year in housing, healthcare, and welfare support.
Meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers living in taxpayer-funded hotels has reached an eye- watering 38,000.
These hotels are costing British citizens millions every single day — while our own people struggle to make ends meet in a cost-of-living crisis.
And yet, Labour continues to hide behind empty excuses, blaming the appeals process instead of taking decisive action.
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The fundamental issue Labour refuses to acknowledge is that securing the nation’s borders — not just relying on deterrents — is the only real solution.
No amount of bureaucratic reshuffling will stop the crossings unless Britain takes firm control of its borders and enforces the law without hesitation.
The Government must act decisively to prevent illegal entry in the first place, not just deal with the consequences afterward. Anything less is just more posturing, more wasted taxpayer money, and yet another betrayal of the British people.
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The question is no longer whether Labour will act — because their track record makes the answer painfully obvious. They won’t.
The question is how much longer the British public will tolerate a government that refuses to defend its own borders. Britain’s borders are open, and Labour is holding the door.
Richard Thomson was the Reform UK candidate for Braintree in the 2024 General Election and served as a Royal Marine for eight years