The home secretary has defended the government’s record on tackling illegal immigration so far, insisting they have made “very good progress”.
Before coming to power last year, Labour pledged to “smash the gangs”, in a reference to the groups that transport people across Europe and, ultimately, across the Channel.
Asked if ministers have failed to smash said gangs, Shabana Mahmood tells Sky News: “I don’t think that’s true or a fair assessment of what we’ve done since we’ve been in office.
“We have started working much closer upstream with our European partners, particularly the French, but with others in Turkey and in Germany as well.
“We know that the action we have taken already on confiscating, dinghies and small boats, and working with law enforcement in Europe. We’ve stopped 20,000 illegal crossings across the Channel.
“So, I think we’ve had very good progress. But what we acknowledge is that, of course, we’ve got much more to do.”
Work ‘bearing fruit’
Challenged that more than 500 people have illegally crossed the Channel this week alone, Mahmood hits back: “I think we’ve made progress. We have been working to tackle organised immigration crime.”
She also insists that her work with foreign nations to get tough on criminal gangs is now “bearing fruit”.
Sir Trevor then pushes Mahmood that the French are not adequately policing the coastline near Calais.
The Cabinet minister acknowledges there “have been some issues with the French government themselves”, but insists that the government “is making progress”.
She also points to the UK-France migrant returns deal, which allows the government to send people who have come here illegally back to the continent, in exchange for a legal migrant.
“It is, of course, going to take some time to make all of these changes,” she insists.
But Sir Trevor points out that two people who were returned to France under that deal have since come back to the UK again – although the government insists they will be deported for a second time.
