Keir Starmer agrees migrant returns deal with France Politics Keir Starmer has agreed a “pilot” deal to return illegal migrants to France in an exchange for individuals to arrive as asylum seekers as part of a drive to curb small boat crossings. In a speech delivered alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Starmer said the new plan would come into effect in the coming weeks. [...]
Starmer and Macron hope for ‘progress’ on defence and migration at summit Politics Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have said they hope to make “good progress” on issues including migration and defence when they meet next week, Number 10 has said. The two leaders will hold a summit when the French President travels to the UK for a state visit next week, with the two leaders speaking [...]
More than 30,000 migrants crossed Channel since Starmer took office Politics More than 30,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, according to the latest government figures. A total of 154 people made the crossing in four boats on Friday, according to the Home Office. This brings the migrants total for the year so far to 6,796, [...]
Poor co-ordination was ‘open invitation’ for small boats, Starmer says March 31, 2025 Poor co-ordination between policing and intelligence agencies was an “open invitation” to people smugglers transporting arrivals in small boats, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed. The Prime Minister has said his government “inherited this total fragmentation between our policing, our Border Force and our intelligence agencies” and warned there were “gaps in our defence, an open [...]
UK will launch sanctions against people smugglers, David Lammy to say January 9, 2025 The UK government is set to launch sanctions against people smugglers in a bid to disrupt irregular migration, David Lammy will announce. Ministers are launching a new sanctions regime designed to cripple the people smuggling crime rings and starve them of illicit finance fuelling their operations. Described as a world-first, it will aim to prevent, [...]
Small boats: Crackdown on suspected smuggling gangs as migrant numbers up January 2, 2025 Suspected people smugglers could face travel and social media bans as the government announced a fresh crackdown in its bid to “smash the gangs” and cut arrivals on small boats. Court orders to restrict the activity of those under investigation for such crimes will be strengthened as part of draft legislation to be introduced in [...]
Small boat Channel crossings continue after migrant total reaches 150,000 December 28, 2024 Small boat crossings have continued in the English Channel on Saturday despite the morning’s foggy conditions. Pictures showed the Dungeness lifeboat bringing a number of people, thought to have been picked up from a small boat in the Channel, into the port at Dover. The latest arrivals follow crossings made on Christmas Day, Boxing Day [...]