Moral imperative to stop small boat gangs, says Yvette Cooper

There is a “moral obligation” to end gangs that help people reach the UK in small boats, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said ahead of a meeting with ministers, intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies.

The summit takes place three days after the meeting, with twelve people, including six children and a pregnant woman, dead as they attempted the perilous crossing of the Channel.

The disaster is the deadliest loss of life in the waterway this year.

Earlier this week, Conservative shadow home secretary James Cleverly said it was “not enough to talk about ‘busting gangs’ when the real-life consequences are so serious”.

Ms Cooper said people had been “packed into an unsafe boat that had literally collapsed into the water”. She added: “We will not rest until these networks are dismantled and brought to justice.”

So far this year, more than 21,000 people have made the crossing. That is slightly more than last year in the same period, but 20% less than in 2022.

To have deleted The previous Conservative government’s Rwanda plan, aimed at limiting the number of border crossings, will put pressure on Labour to show its own approach is working.

The government has promised to focus on combating smuggling gangs.

Mr Cleverly said Labour must reinstate the Rwanda policy “to prevent vulnerable people from being exploited and to secure our borders”.

Friday’s meeting on the small boat crossings will be attended by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood, Attorney General Lord Hermer and representatives from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Graeme Biggar, head of the NCA, is expected to tell attendees that work with Bulgaria in recent weeks has led to the seizure of more than 40 small boats and engines that could have been used to transport 2,400 people across the Channel.

According to the NCA, more than 410 small boats and engines have been seized since last spring.

Mr Biggar will also provide details of 70 other ongoing investigations, including raids on warehouses in Libya where migrants were being held.

The summit will examine the analysis of the operational capabilities of criminal smuggling gangs.

The Home Office had promised a “rapid” recruitment of a Border Security Command chief to tackle the gangs, but no appointment has yet been announced. Downing Street says it will be confirmed “in the coming weeks”.

Ms Cooper said there had been “encouraging progress” in the past two months, with significant seizures of boats and equipment in Europe.

“But there is still much work to be done,” she added, “and Border Security Command will bring together all relevant agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute these networks. We will also strengthen our links with key international partners.

“At the same time, we are swiftly deporting those who have no right to stay in the UK, ensuring we have a fair, robust and functioning asylum system where the rules are followed and enforced.”

According to the Interior Ministry, a “reset in relations with Europe” has led to a 50% increase in the number of NCA officers at Europol. Officers are also being sent to Romania and countries in South-East Asia where gangs are advertising Channel crossings.

The ministry said the deaths in the Channel this week showed that “gangs are considering increasingly extreme measures as more people are crammed into less seaworthy vessels”.

“Intelligence suggests that smugglers have also increased the price they charge for migrants crossing the Channel, including charging for children to board boats. This is because the business model is under pressure from UK and partner legislation.”

Steve Smith, head of Care4Calais, argues that the “only way to stop the border crossings is to create safe routes for people to claim asylum in the UK”.

“That is what the new government should focus on,” said the head of the refugee organization.