Labor slams 'pathetic' migration plan that 'replaces prison with travel bans' | Politics

Ministers have been criticized for their “pathetic” and “paltry” plan to end the Channel migrant crisis.

Under the Home Office’s new plans, people smugglers could be banned from traveling and have their bank accounts frozen before being sentenced.

However, the new court orders – which the National Crime Agency will be able to seek before a suspect is convicted – can only be enforced in England and Wales.

The plans have attracted heavy criticism as they claim they will have little or no impact on the contraband trade.

Former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “Labour voted against Tory laws to prosecute and jail people smugglers.

“It looks like they want to replace prison sentences with cell phone and travel bans… Pathetic.”

Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick called the plans “paltry”.

He added: “This will do nothing to stop gangs organizing crossings into… France. »

Former Immigration Minister Kevin Foster added: “These are gestures at best. This won’t “break the gangs.”

The National Crime Agency will be able to seek travel restrictions to ban smugglers from using mobile phones or laptops, introduce bans on social media or ban criminals from meeting other members of their gangs.

Home Office sources insist many gangs have British members who help “facilitate crossings” and collect payments for places on a dinghy.

The new orders could help the National Crime Agency “crush” smuggling gangs, insiders believe.

It will also be crucial to stopping gangs whose prosecutors are struggling to gather enough evidence to bring before judges.

Travel restrictions, in particular, are seen as an important new weapon to “crush the gangs.”

Some 36,816 people made the trip in 2024, an increase of 25% compared to the 29,437 arrivals in 2023, according to provisional figures from the Interior Ministry.

A total down 20% compared to the record of 45,774 arrivals in 2022.

The last crossings of the year took place on December 29, when 291 people made the journey from France on six boats.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said on LBC: “Labour have just put up a big sign on the White Cliffs of Dover saying: ‘Britain is gentle, we are every man for himself, come on “.

“Labor has demonstrated abject failure, utter weakness and I have absolutely no confidence that the number of people crossing the Channel will go down any time soon.

“There is no deterrence. There’s a lot of wind, there’s a lot of publicity stunts.

“But it’s the numbers that count and the numbers are quickly going in the wrong direction.

“So for all his talk about eliminating gangs and signing a deal with Iraq – that deal was worth £500,000.

“I couldn’t believe they even had the front to announce such a deal, it wouldn’t make any difference.

“It’s all window dressing.

“It’s all smoke and mirrors. The truth is that Labor is failing. This government will let you down.

Home Office sources insist they are making progress to stop migrants crossing the Channel, highlighting the number of ‘red days’, where the weather is particularly calm and weather conditions easier to exploit for smugglers.

Insiders said there had been a record 88 red days in the second half of this year – but there had been 10,000 fewer arrivals than during the same period in 2022.

This, they argue, shows that they are beginning to disrupt the gangs and their smuggling routes, as they were less able to exploit better conditions.