Starmer denounces Sunak immigration proposals as “unworkable gimmicks”

Keir Starmer has denounced government proposals to address the small boats crisis as “unworkable gimmicks” after Rishi Sunak set out a five-point plan to crack down on Channel crossings.

Addressing the Commons today, the Prime Minister argued that the UK’s asylum system is “designed for a different era”. He said many people arriving in small boats originate from “fundamentally safe countries or travel through safe countries”.

Sunak added that many of the journeys are “co-ordinated by ruthless, organised criminals”, telling MPs: “Unless we act now and decisively, this will only get worse.”

Responding to the Prime Minister’s statement, the Labour leader said: “Channel crossings are a serious problem, requiring serious solutions. We need leadership at home and abroad.

“We need a Home Office that functions effectively and we need to defeat the criminal gangs operating on the coast. But time and time again, this government has not provided serious solutions.”

Starmer argued: “Where there should have been solutions, we’ve had unworkable gimmicks.” He accused the government of attempting to “mask failure” and “distract from a broken asylum system”.

Sunak announced today that the government will establish a “new, permanent, unified small boats operational command” to bring together military and civilian capabilities and the National Crime Agency (NCA). He said 700 new staff would be recruited and NCA funding would be doubled.

The Prime Minster claimed that the move would free up immigration officers to return to enforcement, making it possible to increase the number of raids by 50%.

Sunak said the government would propose a range of alternatives to housing asylum seekers in hotels, including disused holiday parks, former student halls and surplus military sites.

He announced that the number of asylum caseworkers will be doubled and the processing system will be amended to reduce the amount of time taken to process claims. The Prime Minister said the changes would mean the backlog in claims would be cleared by the end of next year.

Sunak announced several measures to respond to the number of people arriving from Albania, including embedding border force officers in Tirana airport, issuing new guidance to caseworkers stating that Albania is a safe country and “significantly” raising the threshold for someone to be considered a modern slave.

The Prime Minister said the proposals would result in the “vast majority” of claims from Albania being declared as “clearly unfounded” and arrivals from the country being “swiftly returned”.

Sunak also revealed that ministers will legislate “early next year” to make it “unambiguously clear that if you enter the UK illegally you should not be able to remain here”.

He announced that people would instead be “detained and swiftly returned”, either to their home country or a safe country. and that people would have “no right to re-entry, settlement, or citizenship” once removed.

The Prime Minister added: “The only way to come to the UK for asylum will be through safe and legal routes. And as we get a grip of illegal migration, we will create more of those routes.”

Starmer welcomed plans to address “clearly unfounded” asylum claims but argued that the UK is “two years behind so many of our neighbours and allies” on this issue. The Labour leader also welcomed the announcement of more staff for processing.

Responding to Sunak’s plans to bring forward legislation next year, the Labour leader said: “How can he have any credibility to say new legislation is going to be the answer? The unworkable gimmicks go on.”

“We need to bring this to an end. That means a proper plan to crack down on the gangs, quick processing, returns agreements. Serious solutions to a serious problem, and that is what Labour will offer,” he added.

Yvette Cooper announced last week that Labour would take a “common-sense approach” to the asylum system that would see the government “fast track asylum cases from countries that are designated as safe”.

The Shadow Home Secretary said the opposition’s approach would mean “clearly unfounded” cases can be “swiftly decided and returned”, adding: “It’s an approach that the UN Refugee Agency has recommended, a kind of fast-tracking approach to different kinds of cases.”