Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to take 'decisive action' (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer has created an “existential crisis at our borders” by allowing migrant smugglers to run riot, critics claimed last night.
The Prime Minister – who opened an Organised Immigration Crime Summit on Monday – said he is “angry” about the scale of the crisis and vowed to take more action.
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But a record number of asylum seekers crossed the Channel in the first three months of this year, leaving Sir Keir’s plan “in tatters”, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said.
A former Border Force chief also warned the Prime Minister will be reliant on countries who “may not be willing to help”.
More than 6,600 migrants have crossed the Channel this year (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer hosted an Organised Immigration Crime Summit (Image: Getty)
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “More talking, more tough-sounding words, more polished social media clips and broadcast interviews - yet still no real or decisive action.
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“We face an existential crisis at our borders. Hollow slogans and empty rhetoric simply won’t cut it.
“Since Labour took power last year, the number of small boat arrivals has surged. We are now on the precipice of seeing 30,000 illegal entries since the election.”
At least 6,600 migrants have been detected in the Channel so far this year – up 31%.
During Home Office questions Mr Philp told the Commons: "Many seeking asylum including from Syria enter the UK by illegally crossing the Channel.
"This is, of course, completely unnecessary because France is a safe country with a well-functioning asylum system.
"So, in relation to those Channel crossings, will the minister now accept the Government's plan to 'smash the gangs' lies in tatters?
"Crossings are up by 31% since the election, they're about to break 300,000, and the first three months of this year have been the worst on record.
"Does she now accept it was a catastrophic mistake to cancel the Rwanda deterrent before it even started?"
Former Border Force Director General Tony Smith told the Daily Express: “The Prime Minister is right to promote international collaboration between law enforcement agencies at home and abroad to disrupt human smuggling gangs. This is international organised crime and it requires an internationally organised response.
“The worry is that the Criminal Justice system is not well suited to disrupting criminals operating abroad so the U.K. will need significant support from source and transit countries - who may or may not be willing to help.
“Ultimately, to stop the boats we need to break the business model that allows illegal entrants to get to stay in the U.K. simply be getting into U.K. territorial waters to claim asylum.
“That means finding a removals deterrent urgently. Without that I fear that the boats will just keep on coming.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage added: “Over 30,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power.
“More illegals crossed in the first 3 months of 2025 than the same period in 2024.
“He promised to smash the gangs, but he’s smashing Rishi Sunak’s record instead.”
The Prime Minister on Monday insisted there was “nothing progressive or compassionate about turning a blind eye” to the Channel migrant crisis because it gave asylum seekers “false hope” to continue making the journeys.
He said Britain had been a “soft touch” on illegal migration for too long.
Ministers and law enforcement chiefs discussed international co-operation on illegal migration, as well as supply routes, criminal finances and online adverts for people smuggling during the meeting.
The Prime Minister insisted results are already improving.
He told GB News: “The results are already coming through. Today we have been able to announce that 24,000 people who had no right to be here have now been removed. That is the highest rate for the best part of a decade.
“That is what happens if you concentrate on processing the cases and removing people who shouldn’t be here. Today is the largest gathering of countries absolutely focused on organised immigration crime.”
Sir Keir added: “What we are showing is that if you roll your sleeves up, work with other countries, you can get the results which the whole country wants to see.”
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The Labour leader insisted human rights lawyers fighting attempts to deport foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers are not to blame for Britain's migration crisis.
But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday confirmed ministers are considering rewriting human rights laws amid rising fury over immigration tribunal decisions.
It follows a series of hugely controversial rulings where illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have exploited human rights laws to stay in the UK.
Former lawyer Sir Keir Starmer denied barristers are to blame for Britain’s immigration crisis.
He told reporters: “Lawyers are employed to represent people, and they represent them whether they agree with them or don’t agree with them.
“That’s been the system in place for pretty much the whole time we’ve had our current legal system. Every barrister subscribes to those rules.
“The system would break down if you didn’t have those rules, which would make a bad situation even worse.”
Some Labour MPs have urged ministers to set aside the ECHR and deport foreign criminals.
Ms Cooper said: “The review underway at the moment is looking at the application of Article 8 in particular cases where we have disagreed with the conclusions that were reached in the courts.
“That review is underway at the moment.
“We continue to abide by international law, and it’s worth saying that it is because we are part of the ECHR we’ve been able to get these further agreements with France and with Germany, including the agreement with Germany on them going after the warehouses where the boats are being stored, including strengthening our cooperation and sharing far more intelligence with France.”
And the Prime Minister added Channel migrants and failed asylum seekers could be sent to “return hubs”.
The Home Office has discussed proposals to set up overseas "return hubs" to house asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected and all appeals exhausted.
Officials are refusing to reveal who the Home Office is talking to, though Western Balkan nations are widely believed to be a potential host-nation.
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Sir Keir said: “We will look at anything that works. Obviously that’s got to be consistent with international law and it’s got to be cost-effective. The Rwanda scheme was neither of those. But we are working with other countries on anything that we think will work.
“I obviously, as you know, went over to Italy to visit Giorgia Meloni to have an in-depth discussion with her about some of the work that she was doing.”
The countries involved would be paid by the UK for every failed asylum seeker they agreed to take on. The move would allow Britain to remove failed asylum seekers from countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Syria.