Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to tackle the surging Channel crossing crisis in the same way Jihadi terrorists were thwarted in their attempts to blow up planes across the Atlantic.
Speaking ahead of the UK’s first global summit on organised immigration crime, the Prime Minister announced UK state prosecutors will join European and international counterparts in efforts to bring people smuggling gangs to justice.
Countries at the heart of the migrant crisis, including Albania, Vietnam and Iraq, will join the talks, alongside officials from France, the US and China.
Comparing the situation to his stint heading up the Crown Prosecution Service, Starmer said: “This vile trade exploits the cracks between our institutions, pits nations against one another and profits from our inability at the political level to come together.
“When I was the Director of Public Prosecutions, we worked across borders throughout Europe and beyond to foil numerous plots, saving thousands of lives in the process. We prevented planes from being blown up over the Atlantic and brought the perpetrators to justice.
“I believe we should treat organised immigration crime in the same way. I simply do not believe organised immigration crime cannot be tackled. We’ve got to combine our resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream at every step of the people smuggling routes.”
However, a record 6,632 migrants have reached the UK this year so far, up from 4,600 at the same point in 2024.
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