The Home Secretary has agreed a major international plan to smash criminal gangs responsible for smuggling illegal migrants into G7 nations
The G7 Anti-Smuggling Action Plan will deliver a boost to UK law enforcement by fostering closer cooperation with G7 partners to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by migrant smugglers.
New joint investigative actions will be carried out by law enforcement teams to target criminal smuggling routes, while intelligence sharing between G7 nations will ensure faster identification and disruption of these dangerous networks.
This approach will enhance the capabilities of the Border Security Command and its new Commander Martin Hewitt CBE QPM in coordinating investigations with international partners to reduce illegal migration to the UK.
Other measures announced in the plan include:
sharing best practice, including disrupting supply chains that facilitate people-smuggling, such as small boat parts, seizing the illegal financial assets of criminals, and improving cooperation across global transport routes
working with social media platforms and internet providers to remove harmful content that promotes illegal migration services or advertises fake job opportunities
strengthening capabilities to monitor and anticipate irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels
The agreement comes after discussions by the Home Secretary at the G7 Interior and Security Ministers’ meeting in Avellino, Italy, this week. It marks another step in the UK’s reset of relations with key allies and affirms a shared commitment to working together to tackle complex cross-border issues.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Criminal smuggling gangs who organise small boat crossings undermine our border security and put lives at risk. Our new government is rapidly accelerating cooperation with other countries to crack down on these dangerous gangs.
“Today’s newly agreed G7 action plan provides an important focus on international law enforcement and reflects our determination to work with global partners on these shared challenges. New international joint investigative teams will help coordinate cross-border action and supplement the measures we have already taken to set up the UK Border Security Command and back it with new funding.
“The plan will help to increase both voluntary and enforced returns of migrants to countries of origin. It aims to offer migrants more choices and improve the overall management of migration flows.”
Instrumental to delivery of this plan in the UK is the new Border Security Command, under the leadership of Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, which will be armed with enhanced powers and coordinate the work of law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
It will coordinate investigations with European counterparts and will benefit from a £75 million investment in cutting-edge technology, additional officers, and new covert capabilities.
In July, the government committed a further £84 million to addressing the root causes of irregular migration. This funding will go towards programmes aimed at tackling the drivers of migration at their source, reducing the need for dangerous and irregular journeys.
Since taking office, the Home Secretary has increased efforts to work with international partners to tackle the challenges posed by irregular migration.
This has included engagement with the United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and Executive Director of Europol, Catherine De Bolle.
The UK will continue to drive focus on tackling migrant smuggling with the G7 under Canada’s presidency next year, and at next month’s INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow.
Final phase of implementing the flagship policy WILL commence
UK government efforts to stop the boats and tackle illegal migration took a major step forward, after the Safety of Rwanda Bill completed its passage through Parliament overnight.
The Bill’s passing means the government can enter the final phase of operational planning to get flights off the ground to Rwanda, pioneering a new response to the global challenge of illegal migration.
Robust operational plans are in place to ensure a first flight to Rwanda can be delivered within 10-12 weeks, with multiple flights set to take off after this.
The landmark legislation means that going forward, Rwanda should be deemed a safe country for the purposes of relocating people, including in UK courts and tribunals.
It will prevent legal challenges from being used to delay or halt a person’s removal to Rwanda on the grounds that Rwanda is generally unsafe, or that an individual will be returned to an unsafe country after removal to Rwanda – an act known as refoulement.
The Bill makes it unambiguously clear that UK Parliament is sovereign, and the validity of any Act of Parliament is unaffected by international law. Ministers will be able to retain the decision on whether to comply with interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights, for example, a Rule 39 injunction.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: ”This vital legislation means we can now proceed with our Rwanda plan and begin removing people with no right to be here.
“The only way to stop the boats is to eliminate the incentive to come – by making clear that if you are here illegally, you will not be allowed to stay.
“Our policy does exactly that and plans are well under way to begin flights within 10-12 weeks.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The passing of this landmark legislation it not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration.
“We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.
“Our focus is to now get flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will stand in our way of doing that and saving lives.”
The Westminster government is ready to deliver a first relocation flight and teams are working at pace to prepare. This includes:
an airfield on standby and commercial charter planes booked for specific slots
detention spaces increased to 2,200
200 trained dedicated caseworkers are ready and waiting to quickly process claims
the judiciary have made available 25 courtrooms to deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively
to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda, we have 500 highly trained individuals ready, with 300 more trained in the coming weeks.
Responding to the concerns raised by the Supreme Court, the Safety of Rwanda Bill was introduced in December last year and builds upon the UK-Rwanda Treaty.
Together, these measures and evidence of changes in Rwanda since summer 2022, will allow government to implement the policy, supporting the wider plan to stop the boats by removing the incentive to come here illegally.
The new law, which is one of the toughest pieces of legislation ever introduced, builds upon the Treaty, reflecting the strength of the Government of Rwanda’s protections and commitments relocated to Rwanda in accordance with the Treaty. It also:
confirms that, with the new Treaty, Rwanda is safe
prevents UK courts and tribunals from delaying or preventing a person’s removal to Rwanda on matters relating only to the general safety of Rwanda
allows for an exceptionally narrow route to individual challenge to ensure that the courts will interpret the relevant provisions in accordance with the will of Parliament
disapplies relevant sections of the Human Rights Act 1998
confirms that only a Minister of the Crown can decide whether to comply with an interim measure issued by the European Court of Human Rights.
In November 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the lawfulness of resettling illegal migrants for the purposes of determining their asylum claims, but required more assurance that they would not be refouled.
The internationally binding Treaty between Rwanda and the UK was announced by the Government in response to this finding and introduces measures to make clear Rwanda will not return anyone to an unsafe country.
Under the Treaty, Rwanda has also introduced a strengthened end-to-end asylum system, including a new, specialist asylum appeals tribunal to consider individual appeals against any refused claims. It will have two co-presidents, from Rwanda and from another Commonwealth country, and be made up of judges from a mix of nations.
The Treaty also enhances the role of the independent Monitoring Committee, which will ensure adherence to obligations under the Treaty and have the power to set its own priority areas for monitoring.
But this ‘significant step forward’ remains just one part of the government’s wider plan to stop the boats. Solid progress has been made, with the number of small boat arrivals falling by more than a third in 2023. UK Government work with international partners prevented more than 26,000 crossings last year, as well as helping to dismantle 82 organised crime groups since July 2020.
Westminster’s new agreement with Albania has cut Albanian small boat arrivals by more than 90 per cent; and we recently signed a ground-breaking deal with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, marking another crucial step in securing our borders.
The Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent in the coming days.
In a statement on X, Migrant Voice campaigners said: “You cannot legislate to say that some people deserve fewer human rights than others.
“We remain absolutely opposed to the #RwandaBill, and stand in solidarity and support with all those who have been left more fearful for the future this morning, having come here seeking safety.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn commented: “The Rwanda Bill is a disgusting piece of legislation designed to demonise the world’s most vulnerable people.
“This government has done everything it can to make the lives of refugees even harder. What a sorry and shameful legacy to leave behind.”
Commenting on the passing of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deidre Brock said:“I’m saddened by the UK Government’s actions in forcing through the Rwanda Bill last night.
“This shameful bill doesn’t just defy international law, it flies in the face of basic human decency. The UK which once proudly helped pen the refugee convention is now choosing to ignore its obligations. It has descended into gutter politics.
“My thoughts are with all those fleeing war and persecution who seek refuge on our shores. They should be met with empathy and compassion, not hostility. I will continue to stand by them and do all I can to assist.
“We need to look at where the asylum system is failing and improve the safe legal routes into our country, to cut out the people smuggling gangs. Instead, the UK is stooping to their level with something akin to state sponsored people trafficking.
“As Burns put it, Man’s inhumanity to man, Makes countless thousands mourn.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a statement to the House of Commons on illegal migration yesterday:
Mr Speaker, before I start, I know the whole House will join me in expressing our sympathies to the families of those who lost their children so tragically in Solihull.
With permission, I’d like to make a statement on illegal migration.
I hope the whole house would agree… there is a complex moral dimension to illegal migration.
The balancing of our duty to support people in dire need… with the responsibility to have genuine control of our borders… understandably provokes strong feelings. And so… it is my view… that the basis for any solution shouldn’t just be ‘what works’… but what is right.
The simplest moral framing for this issue… one I believe members on all sides of this House believe in… is fairness…
Mr Speaker… It is unfair that people come here illegally.
It is unfair on those with a genuine case for asylum…
…when our capacity to help is taken up by people coming through, and from, countries that are perfectly safe.
It is unfair on those who come here legally…
…when others come here by cheating the system.
And above all, it is unfair on the British people who play by the rules… …when others come here illegally and benefit from breaking those rules.
So people are right to be angry… Mr Speaker… because they see what I see… which is that this simply isn’t fair…
It is not cruel or unkind to want to break the stranglehold of the criminal gangs who trade in human misery and who exploit our system and laws…
Enough is enough.
As currently constructed the global asylum framework has become obsolete.
Today there are 100 million people displaced globally.
Hostile states are using migration as a weapon on the very borders of Europe.
And as the world becomes more unstable – and the effects of climate change make more places uninhabitable – the numbers displaced will only grow.
We have a proud history of providing sanctuary to those most in need.
Britain helped craft the 1951 Refugee Convention to protect those fleeing persecution.
The Rt Hon Member for Maidenhead passed the world’s first Modern Slavery Act in 2015.
And in the last year we have opened our hearts and homes to people from Hong Kong Afghanistan and Ukraine
Thousands of families will be setting extra places around the Christmas table this year.
No-one, no-one can doubt our generosity of spirit.
But today far too many of the beneficiaries of that generosity are not those directly fleeing war zones or at risk of persecution but people crossing the channel in small boats.
Many originate from fundamentally safe countries.
All travel through safe countries.
Their journeys are not ad hoc… but coordinated by ruthless, organised criminals.
And every single journey risks the lives of women, children – and we should be honest, mostly men, at sea.
Mr Speaker… This is not what previous generations intended when they drafted our humanitarian laws.
Nor is it the purpose of the numerous international treaties to which the UK is a signatory.
And unless we act now and decisively, this will only get worse.
Already in just seven weeks since I became Prime Minister, we have delivered the largest ever small boats deal with France…
…with significantly more boots on the ground patrolling their beaches.
For the first-time, UK and French officers are embedded in respective operations in Dover and Northern France.
We’ve re-established the Calais Group of Northern European nations – to disrupt traffickers all along the migration route.
And last week this group set a long-term ambition for a UK-EU wide agreement on migration.
Of course, this is not a panacea, and we need to go much further.
Over the last month the Home Secretary and I have studied every aspect of this issue in detail, and we can now set out five new steps today.
First, our policing of the channel has been too fragmented, with different people, doing different things, being pulled in different directions.
So we will establish a new, permanent, unified Small Boats Operational Command.
This will bring together our military, our civilian capabilities, and the National Crime Agency.
It will coordinate our intelligence, interception, processing, and enforcement.
And use all available technology, including drones for reconnaissance and surveillance, to pick people up and identify and then prosecute more gang-led boat pilots.
We’re adding more than 700 new staff and also doubling the funding given to the NCA for tackling organised immigration crime in Europe.
Second, these extra resources will free up immigration officers to go back to enforcement which, will in turn, allow us to increase raids on illegal working by 50%.
And it’s frankly absurd that today illegal migrants can get bank accounts which help them live and work here. So we will re-start data sharing to stop this.
Third, it’s unfair and appalling that we are spending £5.5 million every day on using hotels to house asylum seekers.
We must end this.
So, we will shortly bring forward a range of alternative sites such as disused holiday parks, former student halls, and surplus military sites.
We have already identified locations that could accommodate 10,000 people and are in active discussions to secure these and many more.
Our aim is to add thousands of places through this type of accommodation in the coming months – at half the cost of hotels.
At the same time, as we consulted on over the summer…
…the cheapest and fairest way to solve this problem is for all local authorities to take their fair share of asylum seekers in the private rental sector.
And we will work to achieve this as quickly as possible.
Fourth, Mr Speaker we need to process claims in days or weeks, not months or years.
So we will double the number of asylum caseworkers.
And we are radically re-engineering the end-to-end process…
…with shorter guidance, fewer interviews, less paperwork and introducing specialist case workers by nationality.
We will also remove the gold plating in our modern slavery system, including by reducing the cooling off period from 45 to 30 days – the legal minimum set out in the ECAT Treaty.
As a result of all these changes, we will triple the productivity of our caseworkers…
…and we expect to abolish the backlog of initial asylum decisions by the end of next year.
Fifth, Fifth Mr Speaker and most significantly,
A third of all those arriving in small boats this year – almost 13,000 – are Albanian.
And yet Albania is a safe, prosperous European country.
It is deemed safe for returns by Germany, France, Italy, Sweden.
It is an EU accession country, a NATO ally and a member of the same treaty against trafficking as the United Kingdom.
The Prime Minister of Albania has himself said there is no reason why we cannot return Albanian asylum seekers immediately.
Last year Germany, France, Sweden all rejected almost 100% of Albanian asylum claims.
Yet our rejection rate is just 45%.
That must not continue. So today I can announce a new agreement with Albania – and a new approach.
First, we will embed Border Force officers in Tirana airport for the first time ever…
…helping to disrupt organised crime and stop people coming here illegally.
Second, we will issue new guidance for our case workers and make it crystal clear that Albania is a safe country.
Third, one of the reasons we struggle to remove people is because they unfairly exploit our modern slavery system.
So we will significantly raise the threshold someone has to meet to be considered a modern slave.
For the first time, we will actually require a case worker to have objective evidence of modern slavery rather than just a suspicion.
Fourth, we have sought and received formal assurances from Albania confirming they will protect genuine victims and people at risk of re-trafficking…
…allowing us to detain and return people to Albania with confidence and in line with ECAT.
As a result of these changes, the vast majority of claims from Albanians can simply be declared “clearly unfounded”.
And those individuals can be swiftly returned.
Lastly, we will change how we process Albanian illegal migrants, with a new dedicated unit expediting cases within weeks, staffed by 400 new specialists.
Over the coming months, thousands of Albanians will be returned home.
And we’ll keep going with weekly flights until all the Albanians in our backlog have been removed.
And in addition to all these new steps, Mr Speaker let the House be in no doubt that when legal proceedings conclude on our Migration and Economic Development Partnership…
…we will restart the first flights to Rwanda….
…so those here illegally who cannot be returned to their home country, can build a new life there.
But Mr Speaker, even with the huge progress we will make with the changes I have announced today… there still remains a fundamental question…
How do we solve this problem… once and for all?
It is not just our asylum system that needs fundamental reform.
Our laws need reform too.
We must be able to control our borders to ensure that the only people who come here come through safe and legal routes.
However well intended, our legal frameworks are being manipulated by people who exploit our courts to frustrate their removal for months or years on end.
Mr Speaker, I said enough is enough… and I mean it. And that means I am prepared to do what must be done.
So early next year we will introduce new legislation to make unambiguously clear that if you enter the UK illegally you should not be able to remain here.
Instead, you will be detained and swiftly returned either to your home country or to a safe country where your claim for asylum will be considered.
And you will no longer be able to frustrate removal attempts with late or spurious claims or appeals.
And once removed you should have no right to re-entry, settlement, or citizenship.
And furthermore, if our reforms on Albania are challenged in the courts…
…we will also put them on a statutory footing to ensure the UK’s treatment of Albanian arrivals is no different from that of Germany or France.
The only way to come to the UK for asylum will be through safe and legal routes.
And as we get a grip of illegal migration, we will create more of those routes.
We will work with the UNHCR to identify those most in need so the UK remains a safe haven for the most vulnerable.
And we will introduce an annual quota on numbers set by Parliament…
…in consultation with Local Authorities to determine our capacity…
…and amendable in the face of humanitarian emergencies.
Mr Speaker, that is the fair way to address this global challenge.
Tackling this problem will not be quick. It will not be easy.
But it is the right thing to do.
Because we cannot persist with a system that was designed for a different era.
