Smuggler sanction plan full of risks, PM told

SIR Keir Starmer's plan to sanction people smugglers may fail if foreign governments are unwilling to help, a security expert has warned.

- Michael Knowles

Tom Keatinge, a director at the Royal United Services Institute defence think tank, said Europe has little enthusiasm to sanction organised crime gangs.

The Prime Minister's plan to "smash the gangs" would involve suspected traffickers sanctioned by name, allowing investigators to freeze their assets, stopping them from buying boats.

It hinges on countries such as France, Germany, Turkey and Iraq deciding to "team up" and seize the smugglers' assets.