Small boat crisis 'huge gap in UK security'

ILLEGAL Channel crossings have left a “huge gap” in the UK’s national security — with “tens of thousands of people each year illegally entering the country without checks”, the Shadow Home Secretary has warned.

- By David Williamson

Chris Philp claimed that the Government has “completely lost control of the situation” and has left a route for potential terrorists open.

Labour’s plan to “smash the gangs” behind small boat crossings will not work, he said — and slammed their “huge mistake” of axing the Tories’ Rwanda deportation scheme.

He said: “Since Labour came to office, well over 25,000 people have crossed and the Government [can’t] know who they are — they are just people turning up on a dinghy so it is a huge gap in our border security and our national security.

“We need to make sure our borders are secured. I think the Labour Government has lost control of our borders and a different approach is needed to stop illegal immigration and get legal migration far, far down.”