Labor could send illegal migrants overseas for processing, says Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer said Rishi Sunak should immediately call a general election if he loses Tuesday's vote on his legislation in Rwanda. Photo: LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE

Migrants on small boats could be “diverted” overseas to have their asylum claims decided under a Labor government, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Labour leader stated that he would look into the matter. offshore processing used by countries such as Australia, which has significantly tightened its stance on border controls.

However, during a speech marking the fourth anniversary of the 2019 elections, he insisted on “straightforward deportation schemes.” the Rwanda policy, for example, won't work.

In his sharpest rhetoric yet, Sir Keir accused the Tories of being caught in a «condescending vortex» of infighting over their approach to migration.

The Rwanda plan » «built on sand»

Sir Keir said the government's plan to deport migrants to Africa was «built on sand» and he accused rebel Tory MPs of having «half their eye» on a future leadership fight.

“The Rwanda scheme… is a direct deportation scheme for people who are already profits,” he told reporters at the Silverstone racecourse.

“Other countries in the world do have schemes where they take people out of the country. processing elsewhere. This is a different type of scheme and I will consider any scheme that might work.

“In fact, it's very clear to me that until — and until — we take the destruction of the gangs more seriously, trying to deal with the problem from the other side, when people are already here, are looking at it the wrong way end of the telescope.

“The government has lost control of the numbers: thousands and thousands of people come and they say we can just send 100 people to Rwanda at a very high cost.”

“A practical plan that actually will work»

Sir Keir said Labor MPs would oppose the Rwanda bill in a Commons vote on Tuesday night because it «goes against our values».

He insisted his plan to crack down on smuggling gangs and securing a return deal with the EU will provide faster and cheaper results.

“We will oppose this scheme tonight for a number of reasons – it doesn’t work, it will cost a fortune… and it goes against our values,” — he said.

“This does not mean that we do not recognize the difficulties associated with crossing the English Channel in small boats. We have to stop this. But stopping it isn't about catching it, it's about rolling up our sleeves and coming up with a practical plan that actually works.»

But he said he expected the legislation to pass despite the «screaming and screaming» of rebel Tory MPs , since Sunak has a majority of 80 seats.

“If the prime minister loses the vote, then of course he should call a general election,” he added. “The sooner we see their backs, the better.”

Richard Holden, chairman of the Conservative Party, said: “Sir Keir Starmer has shown once again that he is only interested in short-term political positioning rather than making long-term decisions in in the national interest.

“Sir Keir has confirmed he will block our plan to stop the boats because he has never really believed in getting tough on illegal immigration and keeping people away from dangerous Channel crossings. . And he again promised Labor to spend £28 billion more every year while supporting debt reduction. This can only mean one thing — higher taxes on workers to pay for these huge unfunded costs.

“While Labor sticks to its old short-term approach of more migration, more borrowing and more taxes, we are taking long-term decisions to ensure the future of Britain.»