As European countries face some of the biggest movements of
people in a generation, the UK Foreign Secretary is calling on
European partners to enhance cooperation on tackling illegal
migration, including working on innovative solutions to deter
journeys, increasing returns, accelerating efforts to dismantle
people smuggling gangs, and working with transit and source
countries to root out the criminal gangs facilitating this deadly
trade.
Foreign Secretary travels to Brussels today to
meet with the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and
Migration Magnus Brunner, as well as Belgium's Foreign
Minister Maxime Prévot and Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.
She will highlight innovative new approaches to deterring illegal
crossings, in particular the UK's migration treaty with France,
which has shown how it is possible and practical to operate
returns to neighbouring European countries and she will underline
the importance of working with partners to identify further
opportunities to collaborate in tackling illegal migration.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General attend a meeting
of Council of Europe justice ministers to discuss reforms to the
interpretation of the EHCR, and follows the recent announcements
of further reforms to the UK asylum system to increase control
and remove incentives which draw people to come to the UK
illegally.
The Government has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle
illegal migration in modern times. These new reforms will restore
order and control to our border, removing the incentives which
draw people to come to the UK illegally and increase removals of
those with no right to be here.
As the Foreign Office doubles the migration unit within the
department, work to tackle illegal migration will be a strategic
priority for the Foreign Secretary. Council of Europe member
states are expected to meet in Spring 2026 to discuss the ECHR
reforms, working together internationally to face head on the
people smuggling trade.
The Government continues to reset the relationship with the
European Union, Minister for the Cabinet Office will also be in
Brussels today meeting to drive forward the UK-EU
strategic partnership.
The Foreign Secretary will also highlight the changing scale and
patterns of migration today, including global instability and
conflict leading to record levels of internal and external
displacement across the world.
She will also use this opportunity to warn of the risks if
nations fail to work together to tackle the changing nature of
migration around the world.
Foreign Secretary, said:
"Illegal migration, often fuelled and exploited by criminal
gangs, is affecting countries across the world. To strengthen our
borders at home, we need to increase cooperation with other
countries on innovative solutions - including on prevention, law
enforcement and returns.
“That means starting at our own borders and moving backwards
through Europe and further upstream along the smuggler
routes to tackle these problems together before they reach our
shores, and it means building on innovative pilots and new
approaches.
"I am looking forward to productive conversations in Brussels
today to help drive those efforts forward.”
The Foreign Secretary will point to the UK's partnership with
Italy - through the Joint UK–Italy Illicit Finance Taskforce - as
an example of closer cooperation, which unites top UK and Italian
investigators with financial crime specialists to examine and
follow the money trails.
This partnership is providing UK investigators with insights into
the advanced financial investigation methods and technology being
used by Italian agencies, laying the groundwork for coordinated
actions to smash the cash pipelines that keep smuggling gangs in
business.
Next June, the Foreign Secretary will host the Illicit Finance
Summit at Lancaster House in London, bringing together
governments, civil society, and the private sector to tackle
global flows of dirty money.
The summit will focus on strengthening enforcement, forging new
agreements, and addressing methods of concealing illicit wealth,
including property, crypto-assets, and illicit gold trading.
Earlier this year, Britain introduced a world-first sanctions
regime targeting people smugglers, traffickers, and their
financial enablers. Anyone complicit in facilitating people
smuggling to the UK will be at risk of having their assets frozen
and being banned from travelling to Britain. In September, EU
Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen stressed the need for a new EU
sanctions regime, targeted at people smugglers and traffickers,
which the EU is now exploring.
