This week, the Prime Minister hosted the Organised Immigration Crime Summit, where he spoke to over 40 countries and organisations about tackling irregular migration and the people-smuggling gangs.
But while he promised “compassionate and progressive” action, the summit was instead more of the same focus on arrests, deportations and enforcement and missed a key part of the solution to stop smugglers – safe routes.
Here’s what we heard from the Prime Minister at the Summit, and the reality behind it.
1. “We must pull every lever available [to stop people-smuggling]. And that is what this Labour government is doing."
🔎 The reality: The Government is missing a key lever by refusing to open safe routes.
The Government is ramping up enforcement and border security, but without safe routes, people fleeing danger will still turn to smugglers. Trying to disrupt irregular migration routes without providing safe alternatives only forces refugees to take greater risks. The real issue is that there is no way for refugees to apply for asylum before they’re in the UK, and relying on smugglers is often the only way to get here. That wouldn’t be the case if there were functioning safe routes – and the Ukraine schemes showed this is possible.
2. "All of this [enforcement] is providing a real disincentive to people thinking about coming to Britain illegally."
🔎 The reality: People don’t flee their homes because they think the UK has ‘weak’ borders. They do it because of war, persecution, and human rights abuses.
This narrative ignores the reality that most people don’t want to leave their home countries in the first place. The vast majority of displaced people – over 70% – stay in neighbouring countries. The small fraction who make it to the UK often do so because they have family here or language and community ties. The best way to "disincentivise" dangerous crossings is to provide an alternative – including a refugee visa and fixing the broken family reunion system.
3. "For too long, the UK has been a soft touch on this [irregular migration]."
🔎 The reality: The UK has strict and complex immigration rules, and one of the most restrictive family reunion systems in Europe.
It’s because people have no safe way to reach safety or reunite with loved ones, including for child refugees stranded in danger, that they risk dangerous journeys. Besides, the last Government enacted some of the most extreme anti-refugee policies, yet dangerous journeys didn’t stop. Evidence shows that most refugees do not know what policies will face them when they arrive, and as such do not make decisions about where and how to move based on these. Therefore, continuing the same old borders-over-people tactics won’t achieve different results.
4. "Together we will save lives."
🔎 The reality: Current policies are costing lives, not saving them.
2024 was the deadliest year on record for people crossing the Channel, with at least 82 deaths, including 14 children. Every time governments increase border security without providing safe alternatives, deadly journeys become the norm. This has been true in the Channel, in the Mediterranean, and at borders around the world. If deterrence worked, Channel crossings would have already stopped – but more people than ever have been dying on our shores.
We need a radically different approach; one that starts with compassion, safe routes, and an immigration system that treats people with dignity. That’s why we’re fighting for change in the new Immigration Bill.