Sunak's 'complacency' on small boats is being exposed, says Labour

Labour has demanded that Rishi Sunak 'get a grip', as the latest Home Office figures extend the record start to the year for small boat arrivals seen so far in 2024. 225 individuals were confirmed to have crossed the Channel on Wednesday 6 March on five boats, taking the total for the year so far up to 3,208.

That exceeds the 3,150 that had arrived by the same point last year, and is almost 45 per cent more than the 2,212 that had arrived by 6 March 2022, which went on to become the record year for small boat arrivals.

Wednesday's figures also mean that the number of arrivals in just the first six days of March 2024 (953) has overtaken the total number of arrivals in the whole of March 2023 (840), suggesting that the gap between this year's record start and last year's numbers will grow even bigger in the coming weeks.

The number of individuals rescued in the Channel by the French authorities and returned to the French coast is also at a record high for this point of the year. Up to 6 March, at least 868 migrants had been rescued in French waters, compared to 490 over the same period in 2023 and 463 in 2022.

That means the total number of people who have tried to cross the Channel so far this year is over 4,075, way in excess of the numbers in any previous year.

Stephen Kinnock MP, Labour's Shadow Immigration Minister, said:

"In January, Rishi Sunak and James Cleverly told us that small boat arrivals were down by a third, they said their plan was working, and they insisted that the reduction in crossings last year was nothing to do with the weather.

"All those claims now look utterly ridiculous, and even worse, their complacency has left our country dangerously exposed and ill-prepared for what continues to be a record start to the year for small boat crossings.

"Instead of ignoring what’s happening, the Prime Minister needs to start facing up to the seriousness of this situation and the reality of the chaos that is unfolding in the Channel.

"But if he is too weak to get a grip, he should call an election, so Labour can fix this mess. We will take urgent action to establish a new cross border police unit and a new security partnership with Europol to smash the smuggling gangs, and we will end the use of hotels by asylum-seekers through fast-track processing and returns."

Ends

Notes:

The latest Home Office figures for arrivals can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats

Details of rescues on the French side of the Channel can be found at this link: https://www.premar-manche.gouv.fr/

Wednesday's figures take the total number of small boat arrivals since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister to 40,271, more than a third of the 117,530 that have arrived since the crossings began in 2018.

Labour’s five-point plan to reform the asylum system:

1. Crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs, through new Cross-Border Police Unit and deeper security cooperation with Europe

A Labour Government would crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs by introducing stronger powers for the UK’s National Crime Agency to restrict the movement of those suspected of being involved in people smuggling and setting up a new cross-border police unit with officers based in the UK and across Europe to tackle gangs upstream.

That would include officers being posted directly to Europol to collaborate on joint investigations and to identify and seize boats upstream. Labour will also seek to negotiate a new security agreement with Europe, including a replacement to SIS-II, to allow for the real-time sharing of intelligence on people smuggling suspects. To fund this, Labour would redirect spending from the unworkable Rwanda scheme, which the government has admitted is subject to a very high risk of fraud.

2. End hotel use, clear the Tory asylum backlog, and speed up returns to safe countries

Labour will save the taxpayer billions by ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers within 12 months and setting up a new returns unit for safe countries. Labour will recruit over 1,000 Home Office caseworkers to clear the record Tory asylum backlog, and a further 1,000 staff for a new returns unit so that those who do not have a right to stay here can be quickly removed, and we end the use of costly hotels at the taxpayers’ expense. Labour will fast track decisions on applications from safe countries, like India and Albania, which are unlikely to be granted; and establish a new returns unit to reverse the 44% collapse in asylum removals that the Tory Government has overseen since 2010.

3. Reform resettlement routes to stop people being exploited by gangs

Labour would redesign the existing resettlement schemes which are not currently working properly so that they include a clearer process for refugees with family connections in the UK to be considered for resettlement, preventing them being exploited by criminal gangs or making dangerous journeys.

4. New agreement with France and other countries on returns and family reunion

Labour would negotiate a new agreement which includes safe returns and safe family reunions for child refugees.

5. Tackle humanitarian crises at source helping refugees in their region

Labour would work in partnership internationally to address some of the humanitarian crises that are leading people to flee their homes including restoring the 0.7% aid commitment when the fiscal situation allows and strengthening support for the people of Afghanistan, currently the largest group trying to cross the Channel.