Home Secretary warns migrant crisis destroying public trust

upday.com 5 godzin temu

Failure to tackle the migrant crisis is undermining public confidence in political leaders, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (Labour) is set to warn. She will argue that the inability to control borders threatens trust not only in politicians but in the credibility of the state itself.

Mahmood will stress that only through international cooperation can Britain effectively address the flow of migrants arriving by small boats. The warning comes as she prepares to host counterparts from the Western Balkans and other European allies at a London summit.

The gathering aims to forge new agreements between European nations to combat illegal migration more effectively. The summit represents Britain's latest attempt to coordinate international efforts against organised people-smuggling operations.

Government accountability under scrutiny

Mahmood will tell the assembled ministers: "The public rightly expect that their government will be able to determine who enters their country, and who must leave. Today, in this country, and I know in many if not all of yours, that is not the case."

She will add: "And the failure to bring order to our borders is eroding trust not just in us as political leaders… But in the credibility of the state itself."

The Home Secretary plans to criticise political opponents, including Reform UK's Nigel Farage, for advocating isolationist approaches. She will accuse them of wanting to "turn inwards" rather than seeking collaborative solutions with international partners.

International cooperation emphasis

Mahmood will declare: "Illegal migration is a shared threat which requires a strong, joined-up international response." She will argue that working together strengthens all participating nations' border security.

She will state: "To those who think the answer to the challenges that we face is to turn inwards, or back away from international co-operation, I say that in coming together as we are today we will make all of our borders and our countries stronger."

The Home Secretary will also say: "I am proud that the UK is leading the charge on a co-ordinated response to tackle organised crime and take down the vile people-smuggling gangs who put the value of human lives behind their own profits."

Western Balkans transit routes

The Western Balkans region has emerged as increasingly crucial for tackling illegal migration across Europe. The area includes North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Government figures show the region has become a major transit route for people smugglers and drug traffickers. Officials estimate that 22,000 people were smuggled by criminal gangs through Western Balkan routes during 2024.

Summit discussions will focus on dismantling these networks through enhanced cooperation between British, European and regional border forces. National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar will join afternoon sessions examining ways to disrupt gang supply chains.

Conservative opposition response

Conservative politicians dismissed Mahmood's warning as hypocritical, claiming the current government has lost control of border security. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the warning was "rich coming from a government that has lost control of our borders."

Philp highlighted recent statistics, stating: "The first nine months of this year have been the worst in history for illegal immigrants crossing the channel. The Government is accommodating more illegal immigrants in hotels than at the election, and have only returned a paltry 26 to France - over a time period when 14,000 have arrived."

He argued: "This is clearly no deterrent. The Conservatives would leave the ECHR which will enable us to remove all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival. Then the crossings would soon stop."

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

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