How migrant crossings could determine the Government’s fate as numbers reach ‘unacceptable’ levels
MIGRANT boat crossings plagued Rishi Sunak’s tenure as a Prime Minister and if Labour is not careful, the same issue could end up determining its fate.
Former home secretary Baroness Jacqui Smith is right to say that it is “unacceptable” that 50,000 migrants are set to have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power last year.
The fact that this warning comes from within Labour’s own ranks ought to sharpen the Government’s focus on tackling the problem.
The sentiment is overwhelmingly in favour of stopping small boat crossings across the Channel. Even those who eschew anti-migrant rhetoric know that preventing people risking their lives to cross the Channel is the right thing to do.
This Government should still be given a chance to turn the tide. The blame does not solely lie with Labour. The Tories had allowed gangs to become entrenched, as Baroness Jacqui Smith points out.
However, the blame game will not work. The onus is on this Government to start delivering results. And the numbers show that the 50,000 milestone has been hit earlier under Sir Keir Starmer than compared to Mr Sunak as Prime Minister. With Reform UK surging in the polls, the Government cannot pass the buck.
Writing in today’s newspaper Tory peer Lord Kirkhope welcomes the ‘one in, one out’ agreement with France.
But he rightly points out that this should be the first step.
There is much more to be done in conjunction with Europe. For this is not just a problem for Britain but also mainland Europe.