LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized on Monday that a lack of coordination between the U.K. police and intelligence agencies is partially responsible for the alarming increase in the number of migrants arriving in the U.K. via small boats across the English Channel. Speaking at an international meeting focused on enhancing border security and combating people-smuggling, Starmer conveyed his frustration regarding the difficulties faced in preventing thousands of individuals from risking the perilous sea crossing from France each year.
Starmer pointed out, "We inherited this total fragmentation between our policing, our Border Force, and our intelligence agencies." He noted that this disarray has created vulnerabilities in the nation’s defenses, effectively signaling to people smugglers that they can operate with little resistance at the borders. His comments came during a gathering in London that saw representatives from over 40 countries address the escalating migrant crisis.
Having been elected just nine months ago, Starmer's center-left government is now confronting a challenge that had troubled its Conservative predecessors. Despite ongoing cooperation with French law enforcement and engagement with authorities in various nations along the migrant route from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, 6,600 migrants successfully crossed the Channel in the first three months of 2023—marking the highest figure on record.
The opposition Conservative Party criticized Starmer’s administration for abandoning a controversial plan devised by the previous government that sought to send asylum seekers arriving by boat to Rwanda for processing. Starmer deemed the Rwanda plan a "gimmick" and promptly scrapped it after taking office in July. The U.K. had already paid Rwanda hundreds of millions of pounds under a deal signed in 2022, but no deportations ever occurred.
During the meeting, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni addressed participants virtually. Meloni's far-right government has initiated a project that establishes centers in Albania to detain some asylum seekers while their claims undergo processing. She noted that the plan, initially criticized, is gaining traction, with the European Union now proposing the establishment of return hubs in third countries.
The representatives from Albania, Vietnam, and Iraq were also present at the meeting, as nationals from these countries account for a noteworthy portion of the asylum seekers in the U.K. Starmer, who has argued that organized people smugglers should be dealt with in a manner akin to terrorist organizations, faces criticism from refugee advocacy groups and some within his party for adopting a strict stance on irregular migration.
In response to the rising concerns, Starmer stated, "There’s nothing progressive or compassionate about turning a blind eye to this. Nothing progressive or compassionate about continuing that false hope which attracts people to make those journeys." He further characterized the human traffickers as operating a "vile trade" that exploits the weaknesses within institutions and fuels tensions between nations, ultimately profiting from the political failures to unify in tackling these issues. He called for a more coordinated approach, urging the sharing of resources, intelligence, and strategies to confront the problem at every stage of the people smuggling routes.
