Sir Keir Starmer has been branded "delusional" after claiming Labour had made progress on "smashing the gangs" and curbing illegal migration.
Speaking to the media at his landmark Organised Immigration Crime Summit in London, Starmer vowed that the UK "now means business" on following through on Labour's manifesto pledge.
Illegal migration "undermines our ability to control who comes here and that makes people angry. It makes me angry, frankly," the PM said.
He also claimed that "real progress" had started to be made regarding international collaboration on tackling the issue, which drew the ire of Migration Watch UK chairman Alp Mehmet, who told GB News the claim was "delusional, if not gaslighting".
Starmer vowed that the UK 'now means business' on following through on Labour's manifesto pledge
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Mehmet had previously urged the Prime Minister to "get on with it" - and claimed the migration summit was a means to distract from Labour's "failure to keep their promise" on migration.
"The fact that Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper are now looking to work with other governments to tackle the problem is more about drawing attention away from their failure to keep their promise," he said.
"Let's see what comes out of the conference - but instead of gathering 40 ministers and bigwigs to engage in a talking shop and give the impression of action, our Prime Minister should just get on with it."
His address comes after GB News revealed that 30,000 migrants had crossed the Channel since the General Election in the eighth straight day of crossings last week.
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Starmer's address comes after GB News revealed that 30,000 migrants had crossed the Channel since the General Election
PAAnd that figure was referenced by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who hit back at the PM and Home Secretary following their addresses at today's migration conference.
"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 said.
"Other countries, including Germany, Italy and the even the European Commission are looking at offshore processing as a deterrent, but Starmer's Labour Government has gone in the opposite direction. He has lost control of our borders as a result.
"Today's conference will make no difference to that - as the NCAA themselves said, law enforcement alone cannot stop illegal immigration. You need a removals deterrent.
"And 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."
Starmer himself has launched repeated attacks at the Conservatives' migration record
PAStarmer himself has launched repeated attacks at the Conservatives' migration record - late last year, he accused the party of running an "open border experiment", and has stuck to that line since.
"A failure on this scale isn't just bad luck. It isn't a global trend, or taking your eye off the ball," he said at the time.
"No. This a different order of failure. This happened by design, not accident. Policies were reformed, deliberately, to liberalise immigration.
"Brexit was used for that purpose: to turn Britain into a one-nation experiment in open borders."
