Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the government's Rwanda asylum scheme 'straight away' if Labour wins the election, redirecting the saved funds to hire specialist investigators to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel. The Labour leader also plans to use counter-terror powers to 'smash' people smuggling gangs.
Speaking in Dover alongside local MP Natalie Elphicke, who defected from the Conservatives to Labour, Sir Keir outlined a new Border Security Command to work with Border Force, MI5 and the National Crime Agency. The unit would be led by a former police, military or intelligence chief reporting directly to the home secretary.
Labour argues the Rwanda scheme, which has been delayed by legal challenges and is now due to begin in July, will not deter Channel crossings. The party says scrapping it would free up £75m in the first year to hire hundreds of extra investigators and intelligence agents. According to the National Audit Office, payments to Rwanda would cost £370m over five years, plus additional sums per person relocated.
Sir Keir also pledged to expand powers under the Terrorism Act to enable police to search suspected people smugglers, with 'live monitoring' of financial accounts and restrictions on internet, banking and travel. Labour aims to negotiate access to the EU's Eurodac fingerprint database for asylum seekers. However, Peter Walsh from Oxford University's Migration Observatory said the plan was 'unlikely to be a game changer' and appeared similar to the current Small Boats Operational Command.
Both parties have accused each other of creating an 'amnesty' for illegal immigrants. Labour's plans would allow those arriving on small boats to apply for asylum, currently banned under the Illegal Migration Act, but the party denies any amnesty. Sir Keir accused the Conservatives of a 'Travelodge amnesty' by housing people in hotels without processing claims.
