“Keir Starmer is today unveiling Labour’s latest proposals to reduce small boat crossings, pledging to end the Tories’ ‘talk tough, do nothing culture’ on the issue with proposals including a new ‘Border Security Command’ – using cash currently allocated to the Rwanda scheme,” Labour List reports.

Rather than address the complete immorality of current Conservative migration policy, Starmer is focusing on the  “rank incompetence” of the government. He promises to make Britain’s shores “hostile territory for people-smuggling gangs” by introducing a new Border Security Command, which would bring together existing agencies.

The new unit would be funded by diverting £75m from the Rwanda scheme, which Starmer believes is ineffective as a deterrent as it deports too few people. Instead  he is pledging to hire hundreds more specialist investigators and cross-border police and use counter-terror powers against organised immigration crime, including the power to search people suspected of being involved in people smuggling, close bank accounts, restrict their travel and trace their movements before any offence has taken place.

Insiders say the proposal echoes plans drawn up by Alexander Downer, a former Australian foreign minister, who was commissioned by Priti Patel in 2022 to devise plans for a rejigged Border Force.

Starmer’s speech says nothing about Labour’s earlier pledge to provide “safe and legal routes”. It is the absence of these that compels so many people seeking refuge to take to small boats in the first place.

Refugee Action responded, tweeting: “Here’s an idea for an ‘anti-terror’ measure. Prevent refugees going through the terror of crossing the Channel by offering safe alternative routes.”

Asylum Matters Director Lou Calvey said: “A proposed response to a safe routes crisis doesn’t include the introduction of safe routes. It’s sheer madness. And it means that the enforcement measures will escalate again when irregular migration continues as it will.”

Asylum and immigration lawyer Alasdair Mackenzie tweeted: “This rhetoric – associating refugees with terrorism and existential threat, and framing the answer as ever more coercive measures – feeds far-right narratives and opens the door to Tory calls to abandon international law and our moral duties to refugees. Myopic, dangerous and abject.”

As refugee and asylum expert Zoe Gardner pointed out: “We have to take away the market for the people smugglers… You take away the market by providing people with safe ways to travel… that would solve the problem much better than either the Rwanda plan or another elite police force.”

Insiders suggest that Starmer’s speech will have done its job if it outrages the charities and organisations working in the field, thus reassuring right wing voters that Labour is taking a ‘tougher’ stand on the immigration issue.

A progressive approach to migration would  expand safe routes for refugees, scrap the multitude of recent Tory legislation, establish a fair, effective and speedy asylum determination process and abolish the hostile environment.

These latest proposals reveal a very different Keir Starmer from the one who said in 2020: “If I’m honest, the Labour Party has been a bit scared of making the positive case for immigration for quite a number of years. And I think we need to turn that round.”  “Defend migrants’ rights” was one of Starmer’s ten pledges when running for the Labour leadership four years ago.

Mish Rahman, Labour NEC member and Momentum Vice-Chair, said: “Four years ago Keir Starmer promised to defend migrant rights and make a positive case for immigration. He has proceeded to dump this pledge, like so many others, engaging in a race to the bottom with the Tories on migrant rights and this week welcoming a hard-right, anti-refugee Tory MP into Labour. More than ever, we need a progressive Labour Party which stands up to Tory demonisation of migrants. That does mean ending dangerous boat crossings – but the way to do that is by expanding safe routes for refugees, not treating them as a threat to be neutralised.”

Members upset at Elphicke welcome

Tellingly, Starmer’s announcement on immigration was made in the Dover constituency of Natalie Elphicke. Two days ago, the Tory MP, who was a member of the Eurosceptic European Research Group, nominated Liz Truss for Tory leader and just last year described the Labour leader as “Sir Softie” on immigration, was welcomed by the latter with open arms into Labour’s ranks.

Momentum tweeted: “Starmer’s machine has blocked countless left-wingers from running for Parliament on the most spurious of charges. Meanwhile a hard-right Tory beset by scandal is welcomed with open arms. This isn’t due diligence. It’s a massive shift to the Right.”

NEC member Jess Barnard called the welcoming of Elphicke “a colossal error of judgement”. She pledged to raise the issue at the next Labour NEC meeting.

The Labour Leader of Dover Council expressed his “horror” at the decision and the Folkestone and Hythe CLP executive said it was “appalled” and described Elphicke as a “toxic and divisive figure”. Labour List reported that more than three-quarters of its readers thought Labour was wrong to accept Elphicke into the Party.

Many members are deeply disturbed by the welcome given to Elphicke by a Party leadership that cannot bring itself to restore the whip to veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott. On the same day, however, the whip was finally returned to Kate Osamor, who was suspended after reportedly calling Israel’s attacks on Gaza a “genocide”, a remark for which she later apologised.

Image: Demonstration in support of refugees, London, March 2924. c/o Labour Hub.