A migrant after boarding a smuggler’s inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The alarming 29% rise in Channel crossings since Labour came to power is a stark indictment of their weak and misguided approach to illegal migration.
More than 23,000 migrants have made the dangerous journey since they scrapped the Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme.
This surge isn’t just a statistic. It represents thousands of lives put at risk by Labour’s inability to tackle the people-smuggling gangs profiting from human misery.
They have lost control of the borders and these criminals are exploiting desperate migrants, packing them into flimsy dinghies powered by inadequate engines. The result? More than 70 lives tragically lost this past year alone.
The Rwanda scheme, which Labour abandoned at the first opportunity, was designed to deter illegal crossings by breaking the business model of these gangs.
By removing the incentive to risk the perilous journey, it would have saved lives and restored integrity to our immigration system.
This was an approach that worked in Australia 10 years ago, so Labour’s decision to scrap it sent a clear signal to traffickers: business as usual.
What’s most shocking is the lack of any serious alternative. Labour’s failure to act decisively has left us vulnerable.
I would urge the Government to aid efforts by the National Crime Agency to disrupt the supply of small engines from China.
That alongside the re-introduction of an effective deterrent like the Rwanda scheme will help to stop criminal networks and the chaos on our borders.
Labour’s scrapping of the Rwanda scheme was not just a political misstep – it was a moral failure. They have lost control of the borders so it’s time for the Government to take a firm stand, protect lives, and stop these dangerous crossings for good.