Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has set out the first steps towards setting up a UK Border Security Command, which the government hopes will reduce small boat crossings in the English Channel.
Work to recruit an “exceptional leader” to head the body will begin on Monday, with the government preparing a bill to create counter-terror powers aimed at tackling organised immigration crime.
The Home Office says the command leader - expected to be appointed within weeks - would draw together work of intelligence agencies, police, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force.
…
Ms Cooper said Labour would “tackle the root of the problem” by targeting the criminal smuggling gangs “making millions out of small boat crossings, undermining our border security and putting lives at risk”.
She told broadcasters the recruitment of a new border security commander as well as new cross-border police represented a “major upgrade in law enforcement”.
Asked when small boat crossings would start going down, Ms Cooper repeatedly avoided giving any specific date, saying instead she wanted to make progress “as rapidly as possible”.
IMO, the “criminal gangs” are not the true root of the problem. They need some proper root cause analysis.
“Hey, now that we’re in office shall we do something about processing that mountainous backlog of claims that means we’re paying hotels to look after a shitload of people who aren’t allowed to work and pay for themselves?”
“Ah I’m not sure. Boats. Committees. Terrorism. Everything was left in such a mess you know.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has set out the first steps towards setting up a UK Border Security Command, which the government hopes will reduce small boat crossings in the English Channel.Work to recruit an “exceptional leader” to head the body will begin on Monday, with the government preparing a bill to create counter-terror powers aimed at tackling organised immigration crime.The Home Office says the command leader - expected to be appointed within weeks - would draw together work of intelligence agencies, police, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force.The measures are Labour’s alternative to the Conservatives’ plan to deter small boat crossings by sending some arrivals to Rwanda.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Saturday the scheme would be scrapped when he called it “dead and buried”.
Ms Cooper said Labour would “tackle the root of the problem” by targeting the criminal smuggling gangs “making millions out of small boat crossings, undermining our border security and putting lives at risk”.She told broadcasters the recruitment of a new border security commander as well as new cross-border police represented a “major upgrade in law enforcement”.
Asked when small boat crossings would start going down, Ms Cooper repeatedly avoided giving any specific date, saying instead she wanted to make progress “as rapidly as possible”.
In addition to beginning recruitment for someone to lead the command, the home secretary said she would be commissioning an investigation into the routes, methods and tactics used by people smuggling gangs to help inform her approach.
Former Labour Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair had argued that introducing digital ID cards would help control immigration but Ms Cooper said that would not be her approach.
Pressed on whether she would be asking Rwanda to repay money it had been given to accept people from the UK, Ms Cooper said she would be “auditing” the details and setting out next steps to Parliament.
The original article contains 557 words, the summary contains 311 words. Saved 44%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
meet the new tories; the same as the old ones.
