Yvette Cooper will chair a summit aimed at apprehending criminal gangs involved in smuggling people across the Channel in small boats, as the Home Office disclosed that MI5 officers had been given a key role in operations.
Intelligence officers, Border Force staff and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) representatives will be present at the meeting on Friday at the National Crime Agency’s headquarters.
Cooper, the home secretary, will be joined by David Lammy, the foreign secretary, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, and Richard Hermer, the attorney general.
On Tuesday 12 people died attempting the perilous journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. Another 257 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Wednesday.
Cooper said: “Women and children were packed into an unsafe boat which literally collapsed in the water this week. At least 12 people were killed as part of this evil trade.”
A Home Office statement said: “The UK intelligence community (UKIC) are deploying formidable covert capability to support the NCA to penetrate and dismantle the gangs at every level of operation, from facilitators to financiers.”
Ministers and law enforcement partners will examine the findings from an analysis on the operational capabilities of the criminal smuggling gangs, the Home Office said.
More than 40 small boats and engines have been seized in recent weeks after cooperation with the Bulgarian authorities, the statement said.
In a further development around the government’s plans to stop irregular migration, Downing Street said the head of the government’s new Border Security Command would be named within weeks.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “One of the first things that the government did was to launch the recruitment campaign for the border security commander. We obviously want to have the most skilled person possible in the role. The process has been thorough and we expect to provide an update on that in the coming weeks.”
Charities have called for the Home Office to open safe routes for asylum seekers to reduce the number of boats crossing the Channel. Some have claimed that the UK’s money is being used to “militarise” the French coastline, forcing asylum seekers to take bigger risks.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “Any plan to tackle Channel crossings that’s going to succeed must extend beyond enforcement. Crucially, it should include expanded safe routes, such as refugee visas, schemes for family members to be reunited and far better cooperation with European partners.”
A pregnant woman and six children were among those who lost their lives on Tuesday in what is being described as the second deadliest Channel crossing in recent years. Their boat was “ripped apart” and sank off the northern French coast at Cap Gris-Nez.
The number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional 21,977.
