Yvette Cooper to chair summit aimed at destroying small boats criminal gangs

Yvette Cooper will chair a summit aimed at destroying the criminal gangs involved in smuggling people over the English Channel in small boats.

The Home Secretary will lead the meeting of senior ministers and figures from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and intelligence services on Friday.

It follows the deaths of at least 12 people who attempted to cross the channel on Tuesday, in what has been described as the deadliest crossing tragedy of the year so far.

Their boat was “ripped apart” and sank off the northern French coast of Cap Gris-Nez, and crossings have continued in the following days.

Ahead of the meeting, Ms Cooper said: “Exploiting vulnerable people is at the heart of the business model of these despicable criminal smuggling gangs.

“Women and children were packed into an unsafe boat which literally collapsed in the water this week.

“At least 12 people were killed as part of this evil trade. We will not rest until these networks have been dismantled and brought to justice.”

The Home Secretary will be joined at NCA headquarters in London by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Attorney General Lord Hermer, as well as representatives from the NCA, Border Force and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Representatives from the intelligence community will also be present, who have been helping the NCA penetrate and dismantle the smuggling gangs.

Ms Cooper added: “The last two months has seen encouraging progress, with significant seizures of boats and equipment in Europe.

“But there is work to do, and the Border Security Command will bring all the relevant bodies together to investigate, arrest and prosecute these networks, as well as deepen our ties with key international partners.

“At the same time, we are swiftly removing those with no right to be in the UK, which will ensure we have a fair, firm and functioning asylum system where the rules are respected and enforced.”

An analysis commissioned by the Home Secretary which dives into the gangs’ capability will be examined at the summit, which will also consider closer collaboration with European agencies such as Europol, and advancing the new Border Security Command.

Speaking to broadcasters on Friday morning, border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said the head of the new Border Security Command would be announced “very shortly”.

She also ruled out expanding safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK, saying it was “not under consideration”.

Dame Angela told Times Radio: “I think the important thing is, whether there would be safe, legal routes or not in any future development, we cannot allow people-smuggling gangs to decide who comes into this country.”

The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 21,977.

This is 3% higher than at this point last year, when the total stood at 21,372, but 20% lower than at this stage in 2022, when the total was 27,409.

There have been 2,683 arrivals in the past nine days, from August 27 to September 4 inclusive – the highest in any nine-day period so far this year.

There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36% on a record 45,774 in 2022.

More than 30 people have now died in Channel crossings so far this year, compared with 12 who are thought to have died or were recorded as missing in 2023, according to the French coastguard.

Former immigration minister and current Conservative leadership frontrunner Robert Jenrick attacked the Government over the figures, saying it had “surrendered to the smuggling gangs”.

Criticising the decision to scrap the Rwanda policy, he told Sky News: “Yvette Cooper will meet the National Crime Agency and police chiefs today, and they’ll tell her what they told me when I was the minister, which is that although it’s important that we do that work, it is not sufficient. You have to have a deterrent.”