Sir Keir will say: “It is my firm belief, after years of experience in this area, that we need new and stronger powers to enforce the law and bring these smugglers to justice. Powers that in some areas, counter-terrorism most obviously, we have enhanced in recognition of the dangers posed to our security.
“It’s not hard to see why the Prime Minister might want a path to deterrence without the hard graft, the boring graft maybe, of fixing the wider system. But I’m afraid, like so much of what he says these days, it’s sticking plasters. Gimmicks, not serious government.”
Referring to the Government’s plan to deport migrants arriving illegally to Rwanda, he said: “Let me spell it out again. A scheme that will only remove 1 per cent of small boat crossings a year can not, and never will be, an effective deterrent. It’s an insult to anyone’s intelligence, and the gangs that run this sick trade are not easily fooled.”
A Tory source said: “Labour voted over a hundred times against the Government to give us more powers to tackle this global challenge and has no replacement, no deterrent, no safe third destination and true to form will stop the Rwanda partnership ‘even if it works’.”
The source added: “Starmer’s ‘new plan’ is his old plan, which is no plan.”
Basu criticised Braverman’s immigration stance
It is not the first time that Labour has recruited a police chief to help devise its policies. Lord Stevens, a former Met Police commissioner, chaired a commission set up by Labour in 2011 to draw up proposals for neighbourhood policing.
Steve Otter, the former Devon and Cornwall chief constable, was a member of an expert Labour commission under Dame Vera Baird, the former victims’ commissioner, which was tasked with drawing up reforms to increase the number of crimes solved. It reported its recommendations earlier this year.
Mr Basu was approached by Labour to advise on the immigration plans because of his counter terror experience. He retired from the Met in 2022 after controversially being overlooked for the job of head of the National Crime Agency.
As one of the most senior police officers of Asian heritage, he has spoken out on race issues and criticised Suella Braverman for her language on immigration as home secretary.
“It is unbelievable to hear a succession of very powerful politicians who look like this talking in language that my father would have remembered from 1968. It’s horrific,” he said.
Ms Elphicke is expected to join Sir Keir at the speech in Dover. She accused Mr Sunak of failing to deliver on his promise to stop the boats when she defected on Wednesday.
Her defection was greeted with surprise by Conservatives, with Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, saying it showed Labour stood for nothing and Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, saying she was a “very odd fit” for the Opposition.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
