Keir Starmer attacks government record on migrant crossings

Sir Keir Starmer has accused the government of failing to deliver on pledges to reduce migrant Channel crossings.

The Labour leader said the UK had not secured "strong" agreements with France to prevent journeys from taking place.

Crossings have hit record levels in recent months, despite a July deal aimed at stemming the flow.

But Downing Street said UK-France co-operation had prevented 20,000 journeys this year.

A spokesman added that the two countries were working "extremely closely", but acknowledged "we need to do more".

More than 23,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year - nearly three times the 8,460 who made the journey in 2020.

In an agreement signed in July, the UK pledged to give France €62.7m (£54m) during 2021/22 to help tackle the issue.

The deal said the UK would help France increase police patrols along its coastline, boost aerial surveillance and increase security infrastructure at ports.

But speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Keir said the deal had not been "strong enough".

"The home secretary repeatedly says in strong language what she is going to do about the immediate problem and delivers absolutely nothing," he added.

"You have got to do the work upstream otherwise you will never solve this problem."

Sir Keir Starmer's attack on Priti Patel over migrants crossing the channel will push the issue up the political agenda.

Immigration is among the most divisive and emotive of topics and his comments show Labour's not shying away from it.

And while Westminster's been obsessing over the behaviour of politicians, some MPs worry the issue's not getting the attention in needs.

One Conservative said correspondence they'd received on migrant crossings outweighed anything else "by some margin" recently.

The government portrays it as a global problem which needs "shared solutions"; Labour is trying its best to land responsibility closer to home.

Sir Keir also said the government's cuts to overseas aid spending this year had increased the number of migrants on the move.

He added that the budget "is used, in part, to deal with some of the problems that are driving the movement of people".

However, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the EU's open borders regime is partly to blame.

She told reporters during a visit to the United States that she was "constantly pressing" the French on the issue but that they were "overwhelmed".

"Let's not forget that the real problem on illegal migration flows is the EU has no border protections whatsoever," Ms Patel said.

Asked about Sir Keir's comments, a No 10 spokesman said migration was a "shared problem" for "the whole of Europe".

"We are facing a global migration crisis choreographed by organised crime groups who put people on these boats to make these incredibly dangerous crossings," he added.

"We have been clear that we need to do more, both ourselves and the French, which is why we continue to work extremely closely with them."