‘Life here is much more easy’: Migrants tell Sky News why PM’s pledge to ‘smash the gangs’ won’t work

Published

1 year ago

September 7, 2024

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As cabinet ministers and law enforcement teams were meeting to discuss ways to enact the prime minister’s pledge to “smash the gangs”, in a flat in Manchester Hassan was bathing a kitten he’s adopted since being granted asylum in Britain.

The 26-year-old knows all about the smuggling gangs that bring people over in small boats across the Channel from France.

He paid a gang around 2,000 euros (£1,690) to make the journey to the UK from Dunkirk four years ago.

He says there are “thousands” of people willing to take the money of people prepared to pay to get in a boat. Back home in Kurdistan he says they have offices and don’t need to advertise what they do because “everybody knows who they are”. Their business is based on recommendations and word of mouth.

He says there are “plenty” of gangs, adding “they all have contact with each other”. And he says he understands why offering people like him a future in the UK is such big business.

“Life here is much more easy than the other countries. And you can find a beautiful life in here and work”, he says, adding “even the government is helping the refugees here much better than the other countries”.

Also in the Manchester flat is Mohammed. We’ve changed both their names to protect their identities. Mohammed is 30, also from Kurdistan, and came to the UK by small boat last year.

Unlike Hassan, he didn’t pay smugglers back home but instead made his way to Calais where he said it was easy to find people to pay to get him in a boat.

He thinks a crackdown on gangs might reduce the number of crossings but believes there will always be other smugglers willing to take the place of those arrested.

Governments are remembered for action, not meetings

Liz Bates

Political correspondent

@wizbates

There is no bigger issue in British politics than illegal migration, and no one is more aware of that than the new prime minister.

He may only be two months into the job, but Sir Keir Starmer knows that a failure to bring down the number of small boats crossing the channel would define his premiership.

So, it was unsurprising that one of his first acts was to begin the process of turning his promise to “smash the gangs” into practice.

But what was surprising about today’s four-hour, high-level meeting was the absence of any memorable moment that might reassure a restless public.

Labour may want to ditch gimmicks and usher in an era of grown-up government, but just sitting around a table could make them look like they’re all talk and no bold action.

Flagship policies like the controversial Rwanda plan put forward by the previous administration are about more than getting headlines, they give voters a clear indication of what a party stands for.

When we look back on governments we remember the policies that changed the country, not the meetings, however long they last.

Despite tough talk from the new government and years of promises to “stop the boats” by the previous administration, thousands of people continue to make the perilous journey.

So far this year more than 20,000 people have arrived by small boat, more than during the same period last year.

Naveed and Mustafa are both 34 and from Iran. They came by small boat to the UK around 17 months ago.

They decided to pay smugglers to get them into Britain after being denied asylum in other European countries, including Germany. They each paid around £3,000.

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“It was the only option we had, even then we were told we would be put on a ferry to the UK but by the time they got us to the shore we were put on a boat and we had no option but to accept it because if we didn’t we would either be beaten up or we were told we would be shot,” Naveed told Sky News.

They think a tougher approach by the UK government and law enforcement to tackle the smuggling gangs will have an impact, but don’t believe it will stop people trying to reach Britain.

“I would say there would be a major decrease in those attempting to come to the boats, however, there are other options that people could find to get to the UK,” Mustafa said.

UK

All GP surgeries in England must offer online booking from today

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2025

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All GP surgeries in England must offer online booking from today

All GP surgeries in England are required to offer online appointment bookings from today.

Practices must keep their websites and app services available from at least 8am to 6.30pm, Monday through Friday, for non-urgent appointments, medication queries and admin requests.

Many surgeries are already offering online bookings and consultations, but services are typically less effective in working-class areas.

The Department of Health and Social Care says there is a lack of consistency, as some surgeries that offer online services are choosing to switch the function off during busier periods.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has argued safeguards have not been put in place, nor have extra staff been brought in to manage what it anticipates will be a “barrage of online requests.”

The BMA has said GPs are considering a range of actions after voting to enter a dispute with the government over the plan.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged the BMA to embrace the plan, saying the union’s resistance is “a real disservice to so many GPs” who have already introduced the service.

‘As easy as booking a takeaway’

The minister said the government will help practices that need assistance to implement the plan, “but we’ve got to modernise”.

Mr Streeting told the Labour Party conference: “Many GPs already offer this service because they’ve changed with the times.

“Why shouldn’t be booking a GP appointment be as easy as booking a delivery, a taxi, or a takeaway? And our policy comes alongside a billion pounds of extra funding for general practice and 2,000 extra GPs.

“Yet the BMA threatens to oppose it in 2025. Well, I’ll give you this warning; if we give in to the forces of conservatism, they will turn the NHS into a museum of 20th century healthcare.”

The measure is part of the broader government pledge to transform the NHS.

Sir Keir Starmer has revealed plans to establish a nationwide “online hospital” by 2027, enabling patients to receive treatment and care from home.

The government said the initiative could provide up to 8.5 million additional NHS appointments within its first three years.

Available via the NHS app, it will allow patients to schedule in-person procedures at local hospitals, surgical hubs or diagnostic centres, reducing delays.

UK

Farage isn’t racist, says PM – as he’s challenged over Trump’s ‘Sharia law’ comment

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2025

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Farage isn't racist, says PM - as he's challenged over Trump's 'Sharia law' comment

Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not believe Nigel Farage or Reform voters are racist – and also refused to label Donald Trump’s claim that London wants “Sharia law” as such.

The prime minister told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby the president’s claim – made while criticising the capital’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, during a UN summit last week – was “nonsense”.

Asked if it was racist, considering Sir Sadiq is a Muslim, Sir Keir said: “I have been really clear that the idea that in London we’re introducing Sharia law is rubbish.”

He said the mayor – who has branded Mr Trump “racist, sexist, misogynistic” – was doing a “very good job”, but also pointed to his “very good relationship” with the president.

Sir Keir also insisted he does not think Mr Farage or Reform supporters are racist, after targeting the party in his Labour conference speech and claiming its leader “hates Britain”.

Earlier in the week, Sir Keir called Reform’s freshly announced immigration policies “racist” and “immoral”.

Asked if he thinks Mr Farage is a racist, he said: “No, nor do I think Reform voters are racist.

“They’re concerned about things like our borders, they’re frustrated about the pace of change.

“So I’m not for a moment suggesting that they are racist.”

He said he was “talking about a particular policy”, which would see Reform axe the right of migrants to apply for indefinite leave to remain, ban anyone who is not a UK citizen from claiming benefits, and force those applying for UK citizenship to renounce other citizenship.

Reform ‘taking country down road of toxic division’

Sir Keir also refused to say whether he thinks Mr Farage is dangerous, saying: “I think the fight at the next election is going to define us as a country for years to come.

“I think it’s a dangerous moment for the country.”

He said he would not “get into labelling the man”.

“I’m talking about the ideas and what he stands for and what I stand for,” he added.

“I think that taking our country down the road of toxic division where you don’t want to fix problems because if they’re fixed, you lose your reason to exist, I think that is dangerous for our country.”

Farage: Starmer unfit to be PM

Mr Farage reacted to Sir Keir’s speech by accusing him of being “unfit to be the prime minister of our country”.

“I used to think the prime minister was a decent man, somebody that I could talk to and chat to,” he said.

“We might disagree on our worldview, but I thought he was a profoundly decent human being. I am completely shocked at his behaviour.

“I hope when he wakes up tomorrow morning he feels ashamed of what he has done. This is a desperate last throw of the dice for the prime minister who’s in deep trouble, a prime minister who can’t even command the support of half of his own party.

“But I’m sorry to say, I now believe he is unfit to be the prime minister of our country.”

UK

Princess Anne makes surprise Ukraine visit – and leaves a personal tribute

Published

3 hours ago

October 1, 2025

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Princess Anne makes surprise Ukraine visit - and leaves a personal tribute

Princess Anne has placed a toy bear as a poignant tribute at a children’s memorial in Ukraine, during an unexpected visit to the war-ravaged country where she also met Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The King’s sister travelled to the capital Kyiv on Tuesday, at the request of the Foreign Office, in a show of solidarity with children and families facing the horrors of the Russian invasion.

The Princess Royal met Mr Zelenskyy to discuss the UK’s support for Ukraine and its ongoing resistance.

Anne’s secret visit, which was not publicised beforehand for security reasons, came just two days after a Russian aerial bombardment killed at least four people in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, and injured at least 70 others.

The attack, which lasted more than 12 hours, was one of the heaviest in recent months.

The purpose of her trip was to highlight the traumatic experiences of children living on the frontline, Buckingham Palace said.

Joining First Lady Olena Zelenska at the children’s memorial, Anne left the teddy in tribute to youngsters killed in the conflict, saying her daughter Zara Tindall had the same bear.

As the 75-year-old princess stepped back after placing the traditional-looking teddy at the base of the memorial alongside scores of other cuddly toys, she told Mrs Zelenska: “That was one that my daughter had.”

Mrs Zelenska also left a bear in tribute.

The site commemorates more than 650 children who have died since the start of the conflict in 2022.

In Kyiv, she also met female police and armed forces representatives and heard about their key role protecting women and children.

Visiting the Child Rights Protection Centre, she spoke to families and children who have been returned and reintegrated, and met some of those working to return more Ukrainian children.

More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported by the Russian authorities to Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Princess Anne is the second working royal to visit Ukraine.

In April last year, the Duchess of Edinburgh was the first to go and bring a letter of support from the King.

Anne’s trip also follows that of her nephew Prince Harry, who made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital just over two weeks ago with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation.

Anne also visited a rehabilitation centre, where she met Ukrainian veterans returning from the frontline.

The King has met Mr Zelenskyy a number of times and marked the country’s independence day in August by sending a message of solidarity.

During Donald Trump’s recent state visit to the UK, Charles also took the opportunity to stress the importance of supporting Ukraine.

He told the US president in his banquet speech: “Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”