Organised illegal immigration must be tackled at every step of the people smuggling journey, from the Middle East and North Africa to Britain’s high streets, the prime minister has said.
Sir Keir Starmer made the remarks at the opening of the UK’s first Organised Immigration Crime Summit on Monday, which brings together over 40 countries—including France, Iraq, Vietnam, and the United States—to agree new action on tackling illegal immigration.
During the two-day summit they will talk about the drivers of illegal immigration, the supply chain of small boats used to cross the English Channel, illicit financing of people smuggling, and anti-trafficking measures.
Social media giants Meta, X, and TikTok have also been invited to discuss how to stop the online promotion of illegal immigration on their platforms.
The prime minister highlighted ongoing collaboration with European partners to disrupt smuggling routes, citing a major joint operation by French, German, and British law enforcement that dismantled an Iraqi smuggling network, leading to multiple arrests and the seizure of hundreds of boats and engines.
Starmer said that people smuggling was a global security threat and should be treated similar to terrorism, using all powers at the government’s disposal.
“I simply don’t believe organised immigration crime cannot be tackled,” he said.
He added: “We’ve got to combine resources. Share intelligence and tactics. Tackle the problem upstream at every step of the people smuggling journey, from North Africa and the Middle East to the high streets of our biggest cities.”
Stricter Right to Work Checks
The government also announced on Sunday that it was expanding employers’ right-to-work checks to cover the “gig economy”—casual and temporary workers often employed in food delivery, couriers, beauty salons, and construction.Under the current flexible arrangements, thousands of businesses are not legally required to check the status of these workers.
Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats already voluntarily carry out these checks to ensure their drivers can legally work in the UK.
The Home Office said under new rules, businesses that fail to carry out these checks could be fined up to £60,000 for each illegal immigrant found working for them, have their business closed or their director disqualified, or face potential prison sentences of up to five years.
24,000 Deported
The push to tackle illegal immigration comes as 6,642 boat migrants have travelled to the UK since the start of this year, a figure 43 percent higher than the first three months of 2024, when 4,644 arrived.According to recent government figures, 29,884 illegal immigrants have reached British shores by boat since Starmer became prime minister in July 2024.
Since 2018, when records began reflecting a rise in this form of illegal immigration, a total of 157,780 people have arrived in the UK via small boats.
Starmer said on Monday that under his leadership there has been a massive surge in immigration enforcement, with more than 24,000 with no legal right to be in the UK being returned since the election, the highest rate in eight years.
Labour ‘Open Borders Government’
Ahead of the summit, the Conservative Party said the government’s claims on being tough on illegal immigration were “risible,” and criticised the Labour administration for scrapping the Rwanda plan, which the Tories said was “the only deterrent this country had.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told reporters: “Crossings are up 31 percent since the election and 2025 so far has been the worst year ever as a result. Starmer’s claim to ‘smash the gangs’ lies in tatters.”
He added that under the leadership of Kemi Badenoch, the Conservatives have set out tough new plans to tackle illegal immigration, including deporting all foreign criminals and repealing the Human Rights Act for immigration matters.
“If Labour was serious about protecting Britain they would back these measures—but instead Labour voted against them. Labour is an open borders government,” Philp said.
