Sir Keir StarmerBritain's plan to crack down on small boats would make Britain the 'asylum capital of the world' Tories have claimed.
The Labor leader today used a speech on the Kent coast to unveil his party's proposals to get to grips with the Channel crisis.
Sir Keir vowed to scrap the flagship Rwanda policy and instead set up a new 'elite Border Security Command' to treat people smugglers in the same way as terrorists.
But the Minister of the Interior James Slim said: “Labour has no plan to stop the boats.
“Labour has an amnesty for illegal immigration, Labor blocks the deportation of violent sex offenders and Labor has voted against tougher legislation to stop the boats more than 130 times.
“They will create a haven for criminal gangs but not stop them. Even Labor MPs say Labor cannot be trusted to stop the boats, showing nothing will change.
“If people from outside Britain can claim asylum, unlimited applications can be made, many of which must be accepted by law, and even then many of those refused will still end up on a small boat.
“Labour's announcement would make Britain the asylum capital of the world.”
Speaking in Dover alongside local MP Natalie Elphicke, who controversially defected from the Tories Speaking to Labor on Wednesday, Sir Keir said his party will end the Rwanda policy once and for all and establish a border security command that will be an “elite force, not a Cinderella agency”.
The Labor leader said: “We will restore serious government to our borders, tackle this problem at its source and replace the Rwanda policy for good.”
In a message to smuggling gangs, he added: “These shores will become hostile territory for you – we will find you. We will stop you. We will protect your victims with the Border Security Command. We will secure Britain's borders.”
Some 8,826 migrants have arrived in Britain this year after crossing the Channel, preliminary figures from the Home Office show.