Sir Keir Starmer is "trying to look tough" when it comes to immigration, former Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston has claimed.
The comments come as Keir Starmer is set to sign new agreements with three Balkan countries in a bid to crack down on migrant smuggling.
The announcement comes as figures show migrant arrivals to Britain have increased by 18 per cent this year, with 31,535 people reaching UK shores.
Former Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston has dismissed the plans as "tinkering", claiming Starmer is "desperate to be seen to look tough" following recent US election results.
Keir Starmer has promised to 'smash the gangs' and end the crisis
GB NEWSHe said: "I think all it's doing is giving Keir Starmer and the new government a chance to look like they're being a bit tough and look like they're doing something off the back of the US results.
"If you listen to the the public in the US they had two big issues that drove their voting patterns.
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"It was basically immigration and the economy. Immigration is a monstrous issue that also filters into the economy, of course. So Keir Starmer is desperate to be seen to look tough."
He added: "There's one thing that's going to stop the migrant crossings or slow it down, and that's offshore processing of some kind.
"I understand that another 50 people were rescued and two died just very recently. So something has to be done. This is really just tinkering with it."
The deals with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo aim to boost intelligence sharing and cooperation to combat criminal networks operating along key trafficking routes to Britain
Former Mayor of Middlesborough Andy Preston said the Prime Minister is "trying to look tough"
GB News
A No10 spokesman said the agreements would "increase intelligence sharing, expertise and co-operation" to combat organised crime gangs behind the small boats crisis.
The deals will mirror existing arrangements with Albania, focusing on intercepting criminal smuggling networks operating through the Western Balkans.
Almost 100,000 migrants transited through these countries last year, making the region a crucial route for those attempting to reach Western Europe and the UK illegally.
Keir Starmer scrapped the Rwanda scheme
PAThe Prime Minister will press for a "major upgrade in international co-operation" at today's European Political Community meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
Labour scrapped the previous Conservative government's Rwanda asylum deal after taking over in July.
The latest figures reveal 17,961 migrants have arrived since Labour won the landslide election.
