Sir Keir Starmer was accused of “yet another gimmick” over his latest push to get a grip on the small boats crisis. The Prime Minister will host German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on his first official visit to the UK tomorrow.
Berlin agreed last year to make facilitating the smuggling of migrants to the UK a criminal offence in a move that will give law enforcements more powers to investigate the supply and storage of small boats to be used for Channel crossings. Mr Merz is expected to use the trip to commit to adopting the law change by the end of the year.
But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This is just more of the same tired, headline-chasing from Keir Starmer.
“He’s scrambling to stay relevant with yet another gimmick, but this latest press release is not a plan but a distraction.
“Starmer is weak and capitulates on the world stage. He talks tough but delivers nothing.
“Meanwhile, the crisis in the Channel continues to spiral. This year is already the worst on record for small boat arrivals, with over 22,000 people crossing, and it’s getting worse under Labour’s watch.
“This government has clearly lost control of our borders and left the country exposed when they cancelled our returns deterrent.
“Only the Conservatives have a no-nonsense plan to take back control and stop the boats through our Deportations Bill.”
The Prime Minister has been seeking to boost ties with EU countries to bring down Channel crossings, which have hit a record so far this year.
He said: “Chancellor Merz’s commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome.
“As the closest of allies, we will continue to work closely together to deliver on the priorities that Brits and Germans share.”
The UK and Germany, two of the biggest providers of support to Ukraine, signed a defence pact last year with the aim of closer co-operation in the face of a growing threat from Russia.
During Mr Merz’s visit, the pair are expected to unveil an agreement to jointly produce defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets and commit to developing their deep precision strike missile in the next decade, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres.
Mr Merz and Sir Keir will also sign a bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty that includes plans to set up a new UK-Germany Business Forum.
The PM said: “The Treaty we will sign today, the first of its kind, will bring the UK and Germany closer than ever. It not only marks the progress we have already made and the history we share.
“It is the foundation on which we go further to tackle shared problems and invest in shared strengths.”