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The UK and Turkey will work together to “disrupt and dismantle” people smuggling gangs under a new deal announced today.

A new operational “centre of excellence” will be established by the Turkish National Police as part of the agreement and both countries will also share intelligence.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said he was unable to disclose the amount of money handed over by the UK government as part of the deal.

He told GB News only that “we are giving some funding”, adding: “It is not primarily about money.

“This is mainly about the sharing of intelligence and information between our world-leading police and security services and their law enforcement authorities, so that if we find out something important, that can be acted upon quickly, and vice versa.”

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Has the Home Office lost its grip?

It comes as Downing Street is accused of seeking to distract from what Labour has said are “catastrophic failures” on its immigration policy.

On Monday just 15 asylum seekers boarded the Bibby Stockholm barge, after legal challenges by lawyers stopped 20 others from moving onto the floating vessel.

More on Migrant Crisis

Ultimately the accommodation, docked in Portland Port off the coast of Dorset, will only house 500 single males – fewer than 1% of the number of people awaiting for their asylum claims to be processed.

Read more:
Asylum backlog: Government must triple activity to meet target
Solicitors shut down after investigation into fake asylum claims

Labour has called on the government to get a grip of the asylum case backlog and said a series of announcements this week – including a crackdown on a “tiny minority” of dodgy immigration lawyers – are nothing more than “headline-grabbing moments”.

The Law Society also accused the government of “lawyer-bashing” with the announcement of work that is not new.

The government has been largely focusing on finding cheaper forms of accommodation to reduce the expensive hotel bill for asylum seekers, hoping this will also act as a deterrent for people crossing the channel.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the new partnership with Turkey will concentrate on trying to “smash the people smuggling gangs” in order to “stop the boats”.

She said: “Our partnership with Turkey, a close friend and ally, will enable our law enforcement agencies to work together on this international problem and tackle the small boat supply chain.”

According to the Home Office, the export of small boats and boat parts across the continent of Europe in order to facilitate illegal crossings to the UK is a vital element of people smugglers’ tactics.

The deal with Turkey aims to facilitate the swifter exchange of customs data, information and intelligence between UK and Turkish authorities, bolstering the collaborative efforts to disrupt the supply chain of materials employed in illegal migration.

The centre will allow for greater collaboration between the National Crime Agency and Home Office Intelligence staff based in Turkey and their Turkish counterparts, with the UK set to deploy more officers to Turkey to help with joint operations.

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US lawmakers to discuss crypto tax policy amid push to pass three bills

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US lawmakers to discuss crypto tax policy amid push to pass three bills

US lawmakers to discuss crypto tax policy amid push to pass three bills

The hearing notice suggested a focus on a tax framework for digital assets, but did not mention specific witnesses or policies previously proposed.

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Japan’s Gates to tokenize $75M in Tokyo real estate on Oasys blockchain

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Japan’s Gates to tokenize M in Tokyo real estate on Oasys blockchain

Japan’s Gates to tokenize M in Tokyo real estate on Oasys blockchain

Gates Inc. and Oasys’s partnership is one of Japan’s largest real estate tokenization projects, with phase 1 aiming to expand liquidity to $34 billion.

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Why Boris’s best mate is off to Reform

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Why Boris's best mate is off to Reform

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈       

Former Conservative chairman and friend of Boris Johnson – Sir Jake Berry – is defecting to Reform UK, causing more problems for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

On today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss if his defection will divide parts of Reform policy.

Elsewhere, the Anglo-French summit gets under way, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to announce a migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to deter small boat crossings.

Plus, chatter around Whitehall that No10 are considering a pre-summer reshuffle, but will it have any value?

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