Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the government's Rwanda asylum scheme "straight away" if Labour wins the election, redirecting the £75 million saved in the first year to hire hundreds of extra investigators and intelligence agents. He also plans to use counter-terror powers to target people-smuggling gangs operating small boat routes across the Channel.
Speaking in Dover alongside Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative defector, Starmer criticised the current government's approach. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended his plan, saying "we've got a plan, and we're going to get our planes off" and pointing to extra police already recruited.
Labour's new Border Security Command would work with Border Force, MI5, and the National Crime Agency, led by a former police, military, or intelligence chief reporting directly to the home secretary. Starmer argued the Rwanda scheme is ineffective and costly, citing National Audit Office figures showing £370 million in payments over five years plus additional costs per person relocated.
The Labour leader did not set a specific target for reducing small boat crossings but said he wanted levels to come down "dramatically." He also proposed expanding powers under the Terrorism Act to enable police to search suspects, impose live monitoring of financial accounts, and restrict internet, banking, and travel for suspected smugglers. These measures would require new legislation, which Starmer said would pass "very quickly."
Labour also aims to negotiate access to the EU's Eurodac fingerprint database. However, Peter Walsh from Oxford University's Migration Observatory said the plan appears "pretty similar" to the current Small Boats Operational Command and is "unlikely to be a game changer." Both parties have accused each other of creating an amnesty for illegal immigrants, though Starmer denies any amnesty plans.
