Poor co-ordination was ‘open invitation’ for small boats, Starmer says
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 invitation at our borders for the people smugglers to crack on”.
It came as Sir Keir convened the Organised Immigration Crime summit of 40 countries and organisations at Lancaster House, central London, today in a bid to tackle the problem of illegal migration.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper, border security commander Martin Hewitt, Home Office, Border Force and National Crime Agency officials, and representatives from social media firms Meta, X and TikTok, are also in attendance.
But the Conservatives and Reform UK claimed the conference would “make no difference” and that Labour were failing “to control illegal migration” which was a “national crisis”.
Small boats data
2025 has so far seen the record highest number of people make crossings in small boats in the first three months of a year but Starmer insisted his approach was beginning to take effect.
Almost 30,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Labour won the election, including 6,642 so far in 2025, despite the Prime Minister highlighting that since July some 24,103 people had been returned, including over 3,500 foreign national offenders.
Starmer also called for people smuggling to be treated as a global security threat similar to terrorism and urged nations to “combine our resources” and “share intelligence and tactics”.
Addressing the summit, he said: “We’ve got to bring to bear all the powers we have at our disposal in much the same way that we do against terrorism.
“I simply don’t believe that organised immigration crime cannot be tackled.”
Right to work checks
The government has also announced new measures to crack down on illegal working in the gig economy, including £60,000 fines and prison time, in a further bid to deter small boats.
Firms hiring gig economy workers, such as construction, food delivery, beauty and courier services, will legally have to check anyone employed by them is eligible to work in the UK.
And firms who fail to complete checks could face penalties including business closures, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.
Cooper said: “These exploitative practices are often an attempt to undercut competitors who are doing the right thing. But we are clear that the rules need to be respected and enforced.
“These new laws build on significant efforts to stop organised immigration crime and protect the integrity of our borders, including increasing raids and arrests for illegal working and getting returns of people who have no right to be here to their highest rate in half a decade.”
Spokespeople for Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats all said they “welcome” the Home Office decision, government action and “efforts to create a level playing field”.
‘Make no difference’
Officials said there would be a full consultation with industry on the new right to work checks – which will be tabled as amendments to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – after it received royal assent.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson said the party, if in power, would “freeze all non-essential immigration, deport foreign criminals, and anyone who has illegally entered”, adding: “Labour’s failure to control illegal migration is not just an issue of border security – it is a national crisis.
“No country has benefited from this level of unbridled immigration. It has placed a massive strain on our public services, our safety, and the pockets of our hardworking taxpayers.”
Conservative MP Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, argued: “The government’s plan to ‘smash the gangs’ already lies in tatters. We are about to see 30,000 illegal channel crossings since election reached this week, a 31 per cent increase.
“This year so far has been the worst on record. This is a direct consequence of the government cancelling the Rwanda deterrent before it even started.”
He added: “Today’s conference will make no difference… law enforcement alone cannot stop illegal immigration. You need a removals deterrent.
“Yvette Cooper admitted yesterday that the government is simply crossing its fingers and praying for bad weather to stop illegal migration across the channel. That is not a plan.”