Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the government's Rwanda scheme immediately if Labour wins the election, using the saved money to fund a new Border Security Command. The Labour leader said the command would hire hundreds of specialist investigators and intelligence agents to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel, and would use counter-terror powers to target people smuggling gangs.
Speaking in Dover alongside MP Natalie Elphicke, who recently defected from the Conservatives, Starmer argued the Rwanda policy was ineffective and costly. Labour estimates scrapping the scheme would free up £75m in the first year. The party also plans to expand powers under the Terrorism Act to allow police to search suspected smugglers, monitor their finances, and restrict their internet and travel access.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the Rwanda plan, insisting ministers had already recruited extra police and that the scheme would begin in July. He said: 'We've got a plan, and we're going to get our planes off.' Labour, however, contends the scheme will not deter Channel crossings.
The new Border Security Command would be led by a former police, military or intelligence chief reporting directly to the home secretary, and would work with Border Force, MI5 and the National Crime Agency. Labour also aims to negotiate access to the EU's Eurodac fingerprint database for unauthorised arrivals.
Critics, including Peter Walsh of Oxford University's Migration Observatory, said the Labour plan appeared similar to the existing Small Boats Operational Command and was unlikely to be a 'game changer'. Both parties have accused each other of offering amnesties to illegal immigrants, though Labour denies this and says it would allow small boat arrivals to apply for asylum, currently banned under the Illegal Migration Act.
