Without Rwanda, how is Labour going to deter Channel migrants?

Since June 18, almost 1,500 would-be asylum seekers have crossed the Channel in small craft. Tens of thousands have made the journey since Rishi Sunak promised to “stop the boats”. In reality, few make the whole journey. They are picked up a few miles off the French coast and brought to Dover or other south coast ports.

The latest surge in numbers coincides with light winds and calm waters – perfect for the people smugglers to move their human cargo. Everything the Prime Minister has tried to stop this activity has so far failed. Parliament has passed legislation to try to reverse a court block on deportations to Rwanda but not a single flight has yet taken off.

Even if the Conservatives win the election next Thursday, the prospect of anything happening immediately must be slim as further legal challenges are being mounted. However, the intention is to remove at least some migrants in the hope of deterring others from making the perilous crossing. But if Labour wins, we know for a fact that the Rwanda policy is dead because Sir Keir Starmer has said he will kill it. What then will act as a deterrent? Writing in this newspaper, Yvette Cooper, Labour’s spokesman, said the crossings were undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.

So what will Labour do about it? They will “go after the gangs or tackle some of these problems at source”, as if this is not being tried now. Hundreds more migrants are on the French coast, some saying they are waiting to head for England when and if Labour wins the election. That suggests the Rwanda threat is at least influencing a few to think again. Once it is removed, Ms Cooper’s boastful rhetoric will be put to the test.