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Small boat migrants to the UK are 36% UP on this time last year.

(234 Posts)
FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 09:56:59

“Smash the Gangs”.
Not working, nine months in.

And the weather will be getting even more conducive to such crossings soon. Huge numbers are ‘expected’ this summer.

We have no effective deterrent in place and this whole debacle astounds me. What did Labour THINK would happen when Keir Starmer scrapped Rwanda? Mind you, the government are contemplating setting up ‘migrant hubs’ so they must realise the gravity now of this situation.

Big money is being made here. These international gang masters who facilitate these crossings are not going to give up their very lucrative business!

Back to the drawing board Labour. Come up with SOMETHING. Uk taxpayers money is being squandered in the meantime on housing them and looking after all their needs.

What do you think about it all?

Barleyfields Tue 25-Mar-25 09:59:54

It appals me. I have yet to hear of a gang being smashed. All we hear is how many failed asylum seekers they have deported since the election.

glasshalffullagain Tue 25-Mar-25 10:03:55

It's been a few days since we had " your starter for 10" from FGT.

Ah Well.

Nano14 Tue 25-Mar-25 10:04:59

I knew who the OP was going to be before I opened this post.
"We have no effective deterrent in place"
Neither do we have an effective method for these people to get here to claim asylum, so the only way is for them to risk their lives on these small boats.
It's this debacle that astounds me!

Barleyfields Tue 25-Mar-25 10:11:03

Why do we want to provide an effective method for yet more people to claim asylum here? Do we not have enough asylum seekers already? And failed asylum seekers who cannot be deported to their home country because it is allegedly too dangerous? I am at one with FGT on this.

GrannyGravy13 Tue 25-Mar-25 10:15:39

It was reported on breakfast news that Labour and other European governments are looking into a third country solution as a way of processing migrants.

Is this Rwanda by another name?

GrannyGravy13 Tue 25-Mar-25 10:16:29

Oops sorry the countries being considered are in the Balkan region.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 10:29:52

That’s good to hear GG13. I don’t care what they call it as long as it exists. These gangs are running rings around us all.

Cossy Tue 25-Mar-25 10:33:08

Nano14

I knew who the OP was going to be before I opened this post.
"We have no effective deterrent in place"
Neither do we have an effective method for these people to get here to claim asylum, so the only way is for them to risk their lives on these small boats.
It's this debacle that astounds me!

Me too

Wyllow3 Tue 25-Mar-25 10:38:59

GrannyGravy13

It was reported on breakfast news that Labour and other European governments are looking into a third country solution as a way of processing migrants.

Is this Rwanda by another name?

No. Third country situations are for those only who have gone through and failed the asylum process but who can not be deported because their country of origin has not agreed to take them

Barleyfields Tue 25-Mar-25 10:50:41

Yes, that is my understanding Wyllow.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:05:45

Well that’s a disappointment then.
No ‘actual’ deterrent.
The rest just rock up, escorted by Border Force and in time (whilst waiting for their applications to be considered) are housed, fed and watered, clothed and given treatment by doctors, nurses and dentists.

No wonder they still come.
We have Mersey Farm up the road and the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham (5 miles away) being used locally by migrant males.

Each area in the UK will be forking out for similar largesse.

Wyllow3 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:07:34

Its central government funded FGT wherever you live.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:07:43

“Ministers should set aside the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and deport foreign criminals, a Labour MP has said.

Jonathan Brash, the MP for Hartlepool, said the Government should exercise its “perfectly legitimate” right to deport criminals by saying ECHR Article 8 rights to a family life do not apply in such cases.

He is thought to be the first Labour MP to publicly declare that the Government should ignore the ECHR in order to return convicted foreign criminals back to their home countries.

It follows a series of cases exposed by The Telegraph where illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have used human rights laws to remain in the UK or halt their deportations. Many have used Article 8 of the ECHR, which protects the right to respect for private and family life.

They include an Albanian criminal who avoided deportation after claiming his son had an aversion to foreign chicken nuggets and a Pakistani paedophile, who was jailed for child sex offences but escaped removal from the UK as it would be “unduly harsh” on his children.”

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:09:15

Wyllow3

Its central government funded FGT wherever you live.

This I do know Wyllow.
Until Labour come up with a viable plan, Rachel Reeces’ sums will continue to give her a headache. Imagine factoring all this into her Spring Statement tomorrow!

Wyllow3 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:12:00

By the way, I reported on this at the time - February - not a lot of interest then as it was winter -

but progress is being made as regards intercepting small boats in Brit/French agreements

here's the summary

New UK-French action to go after smuggler gangs

UK and French Interior Minister launch new police and enforcement plans including state of the art surveillance technology to disrupt smuggling gangs in France.

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-french-action-to-go-after-smuggler-gangs

Barleyfields Tue 25-Mar-25 11:14:47

This doesn’t seem to be bearing much fruit does it Wyllow?

Wyllow3 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:15:06

We all know there is no new master plan available FGT - it's happening all over Europe.

NotSpaghetti Tue 25-Mar-25 11:15:23

FGT where did you find these statistics please?

Casdon Tue 25-Mar-25 11:19:34

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Wyllow3

Its central government funded FGT wherever you live.

This I do know Wyllow.
Until Labour come up with a viable plan, Rachel Reeces’ sums will continue to give her a headache. Imagine factoring all this into her Spring Statement tomorrow!

Were you expecting a magic wand? That’s the only reasonable way that in eight months Labour could have stopped the boats. This a a very complex problem, with very complex solutions, which are being tackled slowly but surely.

GrannyGravy13 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:26:45

If it’s being tackled slowly but surely why are the numbers of people arriving on small boats up?

ITV was reporting increasing numbers on the news this morning.

Labour had many years in opposition to formulate their plan, whilst opposing and deriding every plan the government came up with, without offering any solutions.

Deedaa Tue 25-Mar-25 11:27:02

Barleyfields We need an effective way of because if they could apply for asylum before they crossed the channel we would not be swamped with asylum seekers who will probably be turned down anyway.

Casdon Tue 25-Mar-25 11:30:47

GrannyGravy13

If it’s being tackled slowly but surely why are the numbers of people arriving on small boats up?

ITV was reporting increasing numbers on the news this morning.

Labour had many years in opposition to formulate their plan, whilst opposing and deriding every plan the government came up with, without offering any solutions.

The number of boats is up because we have had unseasonably calm seas. We’ve discussed lots of times on here before how that is the major determining factor. January-March is usually wet and wild, and it has been noticeably less so this year, particularly in the last month. They are waiting to come all the time.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:31:14

NotSpaghetti

FGT where did you find these statistics please?

Quoted by a Border Force official on tv this morning “up 36% on this time last year and just wait for the improved weather conditions”.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Tue 25-Mar-25 11:35:44

Casdon

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Wyllow3

Its central government funded FGT wherever you live.

This I do know Wyllow.
Until Labour come up with a viable plan, Rachel Reeces’ sums will continue to give her a headache. Imagine factoring all this into her Spring Statement tomorrow!

Were you expecting a magic wand? That’s the only reasonable way that in eight months Labour could have stopped the boats. This a a very complex problem, with very complex solutions, which are being tackled slowly but surely.

I agree Casdon.
I want Labourto do well on this. But let’s face it, they’ve had 14 years in opposition to think about this. Then they cancelled (what in my view was the only viable deterrent ‘Rwanda’ straight away) and I truly believed that the had A Plan.

“Smash the Gangs” is not working.