Labour has announced plans to establish a 1,000-strong “returns-and-enforcement unit” aimed at accelerating the removal of failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper accused the Conservatives of overseeing “chaos, collapsing confidence and calamitous costs” in the immigration system, which she pledged to overhaul.
The proposed unit would focus on case progression for removals, fix processing issues, and clamp down on workplaces illegally employing asylum seekers. Officers will also be posted abroad to negotiate more returns agreements. Labour says the unit will be funded by savings from clearing the asylum backlog and ending the use of hotels to house migrants, which currently costs taxpayers £8 million a day.
Cooper emphasised the need for firm enforcement, stating: “Without firm, fair enforcement of the rules, the system ends up in chaos, costs soar, confidence collapses and exploitation grows.” She highlighted a 40% drop in returns of failed asylum cases since 2010, which she said undermines the system’s credibility.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, are pursuing their Rwanda deportation scheme to deter Channel crossings. Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson criticised Labour’s approach, claiming they lack a plan to stop the boats and have voted against tougher measures 96 times. He insisted the government’s plan is working, with Channel crossings down by over a third last year.
