Keir Starmer is reportedly planning to take a tougher approach to stop people from crossing the English Channel in small boats. This is part of an effort to prevent Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party from gaining more political ground. A senior Labour figure has warned that if the government doesn’t take stronger action to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving from France, Labour could lose the next general election.
According to a source who spoke to Bloomberg, government officials are looking into how the European Convention on Human Rights affects asylum cases. The goal is to find a way to make it easier to deport people who entered the UK illegally or have committed crimes. A new policy paper expected soon will outline Labour’s immigration strategy, which the source claims will be the toughest the country has seen in recent years.
Although the new immigration plans were in development before the recent local elections, they’re expected to gain more attention now that Reform UK made big gains—winning control of 10 local councils and over 600 council seats. The party also narrowly won the Runcorn and Helsby seat from Labour, with just a six-vote lead—the smallest margin in a by-election since World War II.
So far this year, more than 11,000 people have crossed the English Channel, just days after the total hit 10,000. In response, Nigel Farage said these election results prove that traditional two-party politics in the UK is dying, and that Reform UK is becoming a strong alternative. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has doubled down on his plans, saying he will push even harder to reduce immigration, cut NHS waiting times, and help people keep more of their money.
The Conservatives are losing support in the North and Midlands due to Reform UK, while the Liberal Democrats are gaining ground in the South. Both Labour leader Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch are now under pressure to turn things around for their parties.
Keir Starmer wrote in The Times that things are finally starting to improve in the country, but admitted that most people still aren’t seeing the benefits. He said he’s fully committed to pushing harder every day to bring real change.
However, not everyone in Labour agrees with the current direction. Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck said the party needs to rethink its plans, calling the current approach out of touch with what people need. MP Brian Leishman also criticized the government’s progress over the past 10 months, warning that if living standards don’t get better, voters may turn to far-right options. Rachael Maskell, another Labour MP, said the party has a duty to protect the most vulnerable and should reconsider some welfare and winter fuel policies that she believes are pushing people away.
