Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use new counter-terrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs exploiting Channel crossing migrants.
The Labour leader will set out his plans to tackle the small boats crisis during an appearance on the Kent coast on Friday morning.
Starmer is expected to say Labour will “replace gimmicks with graft” by scrapping Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda scheme and use the money saved to fund a new “elite Border Security Command”.
The new unit will be led by a former police, military or intelligence chief.
Starmer slams Sunak's Rwanda 'gimmick' as Labour poised to unveil plan to tackle Channel crossing migrants
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Starmer, who is expected to stress his experience as the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, will say: “Let’s be clear at the start, these are criminal enterprises we are dealing with.
“A business that pits nation against nation, thrives in the grey areas of our rules, the cracks between our institutions, where, they believe, they can exploit some of the most vulnerable people in the world with impunity.
“It’s a vile trade that preys on the desperation and hope it finds in its victims.”
Starmer’s speech comes shortly after right-wing Dover MP Natalie Elphicke surprisingly defected to the Labour Party.
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Rishi SunakPAElphicke, who was elected to the House of Commons in 2019 with a majority of 12,278, faced criticism from her former Conservative colleagues.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron argued it showed Labour stood for nothing and Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt suggested she could not cross the floor as she is “too left wing”.
Elphicke vocally criticised Labour’s stance on illegal immigration during her stint as a Tory MP, saying: “Not only have Labour got no plan of their own to tackle illegal immigration, they simply do not want to.”
However, the 53-year-old turned her attention towards slamming Sunak following her defection.
She said: “Rishi Sunak’s Government is failing to keep our borders safe and secure.
“Lives are being lost in the English Channel while small boat arrivals are once again at record levels.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer greets Natalie Elphicke
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“It’s clear they have failed to keep our borders secure and cannot be trusted.”
Provisional Home Office data showed 8,826 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year.
The figure is up 32 per cent on this time last year, when 6,691 migrants were recorded.
It also constitutes a 14 per cent rise compared with the same period in 2022.
However, Sunak will hope for a boost after his controversial Rwanda plan passed through Parliament last month.
The Safety of Rwanda Act’s passage is expected to result in flights taking off in around six weeks' time.
