Keir Starmer attacks ‘unquenchable Tory thirst for gimmicks’ and promises to scrap Rwanda plan ‘straight away’

The Labour leader criticised Rishi Sunak’s approach to the small boats crisis as ‘gimmicks, not serious government’ and set out the party’s own plans to crack down on people smugglers

Labour will scrap the Rwanda deportation plan “straight away” if it wins power, Sir Keir Starmer said as he vowed an end to the “unquenchable Tory desire for shortcuts”.

The Labour leader attacked Rishi Sunak’s approach to the small boats crisis as “gimmicks, not serious government” and set out the party’s own plans to crack down on people smugglers.

In a major speech in Dover, for which he was introduced by the defected Tory MP Natalie Elphicke, Sir Keir promised to end Westminster’s “talk tough, do nothing” culture over the issue.

Keir Starmer with shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, ex-Tory MP Natalie Elphicke, left, and Labour’s Dover parliamentary candidate Mike Tapp (Getty Images)

He promised “a new politics” on everything from small boat crossings to the economy, saying: “The character of politics will change, and through that, we will deliver higher growth, safer streets, an NHS back on its feet, more opportunity in your community, cheaper bills in your home, and secure borders for our nation.”

And he unveiled the party’s plans to replace the Rwanda policy with “a new approach to small boat crossings that will secure Britain’s borders”.

Sir Keir took aim at his critics on the left, saying that “turning a blind eye” to channel crossings is “the complete opposite of a progressive and compassionate position”.

And he attacked the “gesture politics” of the Conservatives, listing the Rwanda scheme alongside a series of plans reportedly considered by the party.

Starmer set out his party’s plans to tackle small boats in a speech two days after Elphicke defected from the Tories to Labour (PA)

Sir Keir said floating walls, marine fencing, sound cannons, jet skis and wave machines in the Channel were all examples of “gimmicks”, with the Rwanda plan just the latest example.

He said: “Let me spell it out again. A scheme that will remove less than 1 per cent of arrivals from small boat crossings a year cannot and never will be an effective deterrent.

“It’s an insult to anyone’s intelligence and the gangs that run this sick trade are not easily fooled.” As well as promising to scrap the policy, Sir Keir confirmed not a single flight to Rwanda will take off if he wins a general election.

Sir Keir is promising to use new counterterrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs. He has also promised a new Border Security Command which would bring together agencies including the National Crime Agency, Immigration Enforcement and MI5.

Sir Keir said: “This is about leveraging the power and potential of dynamic government, based on a counterterrorism approach which we know works.

“An end to the fragmentation between policing, the border force and our intelligence agencies, a collective raising of standards, so that border protection becomes an elite force, not a Cinderella service, an essential frontline defence that communities like this can depend upon.”

The unit would also benefit from new powers, expanding on those already used to combat terrorists, including enhanced stop-and-search powers and the ability to seize items before an offence has taken place.

Starmer has promised to scrap the Rwanda policy ‘straight away’ if Labour wins power (PA Wire)

Labour will also use £75m of funding earmarked for Rwanda deportation flights to hire hundreds of new specialist investigators to work across the UK and Europe to tackle people smuggling.

One of the key promises in Sir Keir’s speech was to restart processing asylum claims, which has stalled under the Conservatives and created what Labour calls a “perma-backlog” of arrivals.

The Labour leader said there are thousands of migrants from countries including Bangladesh, India and others with which Britain does not need returns agreements to deport those arriving in small boats.

“Bangladesh is a classic example, why are people who come here from Bangladesh not being processed, sitting here and not going back?” he said.

Sir Keir said quickly processing asylum claims would ensure those from “safe” countries could be returned more quickly, which is said would be the “biggest deterrent”.

“It’s a pointless exercise and you go back where you started,” he added.

Sir Keir was also asked about the role of safe and legal routes for asylum seekers in reducing the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel.

He highlighted routes for arrivals from Afghanistan and Hong Kong, but said his focus was on tackling people smuggling gangs as “the most effective way” to lower the number of Channel crossings.

Despite laying out the plans and saying he wanted to see the number of arrivals fall “materially”, Sir Keir declined to commit to "stopping the boats" altogether. He said he would not put a “false number” on his plans.

Addressing the government’s Rwanda plan becoming law, Sir Keir said: “They will get flights off the ground – I don’t doubt that.” He added that Mr Sunak is likely to get “a couple of hundred” migrants to Rwanda before the election “for party management”.

But, asked by The Independent what would happen to those deported to Rwanda in the coming months once Labour scrapped the plan, he said Labour was “not interested in repatriating people”.

Rishi Sunak has promised to ‘stop the boats’, but crossings are at a record high this year (PA Wire)

In a message to smuggling gangs, he said: “These shores will become hostile territory for you – we will find you. We will stop you. We will protect your victims with the Border Security Command. We will secure Britain’s borders.”

Ms Elphicke told the audience of party supporters in Deal on Friday that her old boss Mr Sunak had "failed to keep our borders secure".

She said Labour would provide “a fresh approach” to the issue “that puts at its heart a commitment to border security”.

Concluding the speech, Sir Keir said: “An asylum system – rebuilt. The criminal gangs – smashed. The exploitation of some of the most vulnerable people in the world – prevented.

“An end to the chaos. A turning of the page. A politics returned to service, and a careful, patient, determined renewal of our country with Labour.

“That is the future you can choose. That is what a serious government can deliver.”

Home secretary James Cleverly said: "Rather than starting the flights and stopping the boats, Sir Keir Starmer’s big new idea is an amnesty for all illegal immigrants, scrapping our Rwanda plan even if it’s working.

“Nobody believes Keir Starmer wants to control our borders when he previously said immigration controls are ‘racist’ and blocked the deportation of violent sexual offenders. Actions speak louder than words, Keir Starmer will never be on the side of the British people."