The British government has announced that it will redirect £75 million (around €89 million) initially earmarked to fund the controversial migration deal with Rwanda to combating the many people-smuggling networks.
The scheme, championed by previous Conservative governments, aimed to deport asylum seekers who arrived irregularly in the UK to Rwanda. However, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who came to power in July, scrapped the scheme.
Dismantling the smuggling networks
Kair Starmer has pledged to focus the government’s efforts on dismantling the people-smuggling networks responsible for illegal Channel crossings, which have led to numerous tragedies in recent years. The £75 million will be used to buy surveillance cameras and technology to help gather evidence to prosecute people smugglers.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Cutting-edge technology and enhanced intelligence capabilities will enable us to use every tool at our disposal to dismantle this vile trade.” The budget is also set to be used to recruit additional border guards and 100 specialist investigators for the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Tackling the problem “upstream”
The British government also wants to tackle the problem “upstream” by strengthening its cooperation with its European partners to prevent the departure of small boats. The United Kingdom has already increased the number of its liaison officers with Europol to help dismantle trafficking networks.
As part of this strategy, the Prime Minister visited Rome, where he praised the “remarkable progress” made by Italy in the fight against illegal immigration under the leadership of Giorgia Meloni, who signed a controversial agreement with Albania for the creation of centres for migrants on Albanian soil.
