Home Secretary to chair summit on smuggling gangs after Channel deaths

The Home Secretary will meet ministers and members of the police for an operational summit, during which the government’s plan to tackle small boats in the Channel will be discussed.

Yvette Cooper is joined at the National Crime Agency headquarters in London by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Attorney General Lord Hermer and representatives from the NCA, Border Force and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“Crushing the gangs” was one of Sir Keir Starmer’s key pledges to tackle small-boat crossings in the Channel, after his party vowed to scrap the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan to send people arriving illegally in the UK to the African country.

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Shortly after taking office, Labour announced it would free up tens of millions of pounds from the Rwanda programme to set up a new Border Security Command (BSC) in an effort to tackle illegal migration.

The party is also pushing ahead with the previous government’s plan to reopen two immigration centres in a bid to end small boat crossings.

Friday’s summit comes after the deaths of at least at least 12 people in the Channel this weekincluding 10 women and girls.

Part of the government’s strategy is to investigate how smugglers operate and how the government can better cooperate with Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.

Ms Cooper said: “Exploiting vulnerable people is at the heart of the business model of these despicable criminal trafficking gangs. Women and children were crammed into an unsafe boat this week that literally collapsed into the water. At least 12 people have been killed as part of this evil trade. We will not rest until these networks are dismantled and brought to justice.

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“Encouraging progress has been made over the past two months, with significant seizures of boats and equipment in Europe. But there is work to be done and Border Security Command will bring together all relevant agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute these networks, and deepen our links with key international partners.

“At the same time, we are swiftly removing those who have no right to stay in the UK, which will ensure we have a fair, robust and functioning asylum system where the rules are respected and enforced.”