More migrants removed from UK since Labour elected than in any six months since 2019, Home Office says

Published

2 months ago

December 15, 2024

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More migrants have been removed from the UK since Labour was elected than in any other six-month period over the past five years, the government has claimed.

The Home Office announced today that almost 13,460 people had been removed since Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won by a landslide in July.

It claimed the government was “on track” to deliver on its pledge to return more people who do not have a right to stay in the UK halfway through their first year in office than any other six-month period since 2018. The goal would need to be met by early January.

But while Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claims her party had “intensified” border security measures since being elected, some 21,306 migrants have arrived by small boat since 5 July – the day after Labour was voted in.

On Thursday alone, there were 609 arrivals, making it the busiest December day for crossings on record.

Some 34,880 people have arrived in the UK on small boats so far this year, up 20% on this time last year but down 22% on 2022.

The Conservatives highlighted the number of Channel crossings is higher than the same period last year, saying Sir Keir and Ms Cooper were “failing to control our borders and should hang their heads in shame”.

Ms Cooper, who visited Rome yesterday for talks with her Italian counterpart on people-smuggling, pledged a crackdown on “exploitative” illegal working to address “the promise of illegal jobs that are used by criminal smuggling gangs to sell spaces in small boats”.

Why home secretary’s words in Italy will be watched back home with interest

We don’t usually get quite so much information about the home secretary’s bilateral meetings with any foreign counterparts, but Yvette Cooper was quite public with her visit to Italy on Saturday.

She spoke at a political festival hosted by the Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni with the central focus on immigration as well as meeting the Italian interior minister to discuss ways to tackle criminal gangs through breaking down their illicit finance models. We understand they also discussed driving voluntary returns and working with various delivery partners.

It’s the fifth European interior minister Ms Cooper has met this week in a flurry of diplomatic meetings, all with the central point of discussions around irregular immigration. It’s clear the Home Office is trying to prove it’s not only making this issue a priority but that it can deliver on words as well.

Pre-election Labour had focused their immigration message around the cost of the now-scrapped Rwanda deal and their messaging was centred around “smashing the criminal gangs” that operated networks shuttling people on small boats across the Channel. But in recent weeks there has been a shifting of language – instead slogans like “securing borders” have been injected into the rhetoric.

Strong suspicions as to why all this focus on irregular immigration lies with the very real threat from the political right – not the traditional Conservative opposition but further along the scale with Reform UK.

Last election, Reform came second in 98 seats, showing their growing numbers of support. With Reform hot on their heels, backbench MPs especially in the North East and in traditional heartlands once called the “red wall” are becoming increasingly worried about how much and how vigorously Labour should be talking about this issue so the home secretary’s words will be watched back home with interest. It’s not just voters Labour has to convince on delivering their promises on immigration, but their anxious backbenchers as well.

Some of the measures being adopted to crack down on illegal migration include new technology such as body-worn cameras and fingerprint kits, which will be rolled out next year to more than 1,200 immigration enforcement officers to strengthen evidence that can be collected in raids, the government said.

The government also said it launched a new “upstream communications campaign” aimed at debunking lies about job prospects in the UK told by people-smuggling gangs to encourage small boat crossings.

Ms Cooper said: “Illegal working is a blight on our economy. It is deeply exploitative and undercuts those employers who do the right thing and play by the rules.

“Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crack down on exploitation and illegal working – the number of operations and arrests are up, and we are on track to meet our target of increasing removals to the highest level for five years.”

Matt Vickers, shadow Home Office minister, told Sky News in response to the new figures: “These aren’t good returns because they’re not returning the people who are arriving in the country illegally.

“These are people who were caught on illegal working raids – which is what we brought in while we (the Conservatives) were in office might I add.”

He added the deals with Italy and Albania are “just carrying on what we were doing”.

UK

Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

Published

20 hours ago

February 23, 2025

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Body found in search for missing jogger Jenny Hall

A body has been found in the search for 23-year-old runner Jenny Hall.

She was last seen leaving her home in Barracks Farm, County Durham, in her car just after 3pm on Tuesday.

Police said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances after a body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale on Sunday morning, five days after she went missing.

“We’re sorry to report that officers searching for missing woman Jenny Hall, have sadly found a body,” Durham Constabulary said in a statement.

“Officers carried out an extensive search alongside specialist partners and have been working around-the-clock to locate Jenny after she went missing on February 18.

“The body was found in a very remote area in Teesdale just after 9.30am today.

“Formal identification has yet to take place. Jenny’s family have been notified and are currently being supported by specialist officers. They have asked for privacy at this devasting time.

“It is not believed there are any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A major police search was launched after Ms Hall’s disappearance.

Her car, a red Ford Focus, was found on Wednesday parked on the B6278, near remote moorland between Eggleston and Stanhope.

Mountain rescue teams, specialist drones and sniffer dogs had been combing the Hamsterley Forest and the surrounding areas, where there are a number of running trails, this week.

Digital intelligence officers also carried out extensive inquiries into Ms Hall’s mobile phone, smart watch and running apps.

UK

Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

Published

20 hours ago

February 23, 2025

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Fresh amber warning for rain as Met Office issues alerts for much of UK

A fresh amber weather warning for heavy rain has been issued by the Met Office – with much of the UK already on alert for high winds and showers.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and the UK’s west coast and the Midlands have yellow warnings for wind on Sunday – meaning the possibility of transport delays and short-term power cuts.

There are also rain warnings in place for several parts of western UK.

The new amber warning has been issued for rain in south and central Wales and is in force from 3pm on Sunday to 6am on Monday.

An amber warning means danger to life from floodwater, homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, and there is a chance some communities will be cut off.

Winds across the west of the UK will increase throughout the morning with gusts up to 70mph in exposed areas, the Met Office said.

Zoe Hutin, a meteorologist at the forecaster, said Sunday is expected to be the “worst day” before conditions improve.

“The wind warning itself for the mainland UK ends at 6pm, but we can expect to continue to see quite blustery conditions even into the evening as the mainland rain itself pushes through.”

She added: “By the time people get up on Monday, we’ll still have some of the residual rain from that front in the far south-east of the country, and quite cloudy across England as well.

“But actually elsewhere, it could be a decent start.”

The Met Office’s yellow weather warnings for much of England and Scotland came into force at 6am and are expected to run until 6pm on Sunday.

A separate yellow warning for Northern Ireland came into force at 3am and runs until 3pm.

People who have noticed some slightly higher temperatures the last couple of days may be dismayed at the latest predictions.

“Through the week, those temperatures are trending back down,” Ms Hutin said.

“And so it will be getting cooler each day, but they will actually just be recovering to around average for the time of year. So it won’t be cold.

“It will just be returning back to where we would expect to be for this time of February.”

UK

Starmer says ‘US is right’ about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Published

20 hours ago

February 23, 2025

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Starmer says 'US is right' about UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence

Sir Keir Starmer has said the United States “is right” about the UK and Europe needing to take more responsibility for defence and security.

The prime minister, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, said he is clear Britain “will take a leading responsibility” in protecting the continent.

“Instability in Europe always washes up on our shores,” he said.

“And this is a generational moment. I’ve been saying for some time that we Europeans – including the United Kingdom – have to do more for our defence and security. The US is right about that.”

He added “we can’t cling to the comforts of the past” as it is “time to take responsibility for our security”.

Politics latest: Starmer’s stinging rebuke of Reform

Donald Trump sparked an emergency meeting of European leaders this week after he said European NATO members should spend more on defence, while the US should spend less.

Sir Keir has said he will set out a path for the UK to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, up from the current 2.3%, but has not indicated when that will be.

It is believed he may announce the details when he visits Mr Trump in Washington DC on Thursday, bringing forward the announcement that was expected in the spring when a defence spending review is published.

The prime minister reiterated the UK will “play our role” if required in Ukraine following a peace agreement after he earlier this week said the UK would send troops to be part of a peacekeeping force.

However, his comments caused a row with Germany and Italy who said it was premature to commit to boots on the ground, although France agreed with the UK.

Sir Keir said: “As we enter a new phase in this conflict, we must now deepen our solidarity even further.”

He added: “There can be no discussion about Ukraine without Ukraine.

“And the people of Ukraine must have long-term security.”

This week has seen US officials meet their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia to discuss Ukraine – which has been met with indignation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as none of his team were invited.

No Europeans were invited either, sparking concern the US is pandering to Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir has promised Mr Zelenskyy he will make the case for safeguarding Ukraine’s sovereignty when he meets with Mr Trump, who has called the Ukrainian president a dictator.

Mr Trump also said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, who will visit the White House too this week, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.