Keir Starmer has revealed he wants access to Europe’s “real-time intelligence” as part of a new security deal with Brussels.
The Prime Minister, opening the Interpol General Assembly in Glasgow, declared migrant smugglers must be treated like terrorists and seen as a global security threat.
He said the “World needs to wake up to the severity” of the migration crisis.
But he gave his clearest indication yet of one of the things he is hoping to achieve by forging closer ties with Europe – as he ruled out ever leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Sir Keir argued this would be crucial in ending the Channel migrant crisis.
Sir Keir added: “The only way to defeat this vile trade and save lives is to stop people being smuggled here in the first place.
“And that means doing everything possible to deepen our cross-border co-operation. So international agreements matter.
“We’ve got to use every tool we have – operational, diplomatic, political – to join up our response.
“President Macron and I have already agreed to increase intelligence sharing and do more to dismantle smuggling routes further upstream.
“This is also a priority for the bi-lateral co-operation treaty we are working on with Germany.
“We’re working with Italy to dismantle the supply chains of maritime equipment, combat illicit financial flows, and strengthen our investigative capacities and our data sharing.
“And as part of the UK’s wider reset with the European Union, we are seeking a new security pact, including restoring access to real-time intelligence sharing networks.”
The Prime Minister declared “war” against smuggling gangs, telling World leaders “we’ve got to combine resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream, working together to shut down the smuggling routes.”
He told the Interpol General Assembly: “I know many people in this room are already working hard on this. So I accept that my argument here is a political one, first and foremost.
“But I’m afraid we’re still at the stage where the world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge.
“People-smuggling should be viewed as a global security threat similar to terrorism.
“We can seize their phones at the border, identifying and tracing smugglers wiring payments.
“We’ve already trained sniffer dogs to detect the smell of dinghy rubber and placed them at the crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey to stop more than 100 small boats upstream, long before they made it to the Channel.
“And as we understand how these gangs work, we can invest in new capabilities and enhanced powers to smash them.”
Labour is pinning its hopes of “smashing the gangs” and creating a deterrent by making it harder than ever before to find passage across the Channel.
Calm weather led to 5,417 people crossing in 99 boats in October – the highest monthly total so far this year.
This is 1,225 more than the 4,192 migrants who arrived in Britain in September – the second-largest month of crossings.
In total this year, 31,094 people in 595 boats have made the crossing successfully, more than half while the Labour Government has been in power.
The speech in Scotland saw the Prime Minister pledge a further £75 million for the border command, doubling the total funding to £150 million over the next two years.
The money will be used to fund high-tech surveillance equipment and 100 specialist investigators who will target criminals engaged in people smuggling.
British investigators will also help French prosecutors to jail people smugglers after the prime minister announced he would double the amount of money to tackle the Channel migrant crisis.
Sir Keir added: “As we understand how these gangs work, we can invest in new capabilities and enhanced powers to smash them.
“So we’re giving our new Border Security Command an additional £75 million of new funding on top the of £75 million we’ve already committed.
“This will support a new Organised Immigration Crime Intelligence Unit, hundreds of new investigators and intelligence officers, backed by state-of-the-art technology.
“We’re also investing a further £58 million in our National Crime Agency, including strengthening its data analysis and intelligence capabilities.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper insisted closer ties with European allies would help bolster attempts to reduce Channel crossings.
Former police chief Martin Hewitt has been appointed as the new Border Security Command leader, tasked with reducing small boat migration.
Intelligence officers are said to be working undercover at every level of the smuggling gangs.
This is to identify the key kingpins, their facilitators and how they hide their money.
The Daily Express understands the UK wants to deploy more specialists in Iraq to hunt the smugglers in their home country.
The Home Office said Britain’s intelligence agencies are “deploying formidable covert capability to support the NCA to penetrate and dismantle the gangs at every level of operation – from facilitators to financiers.”
Ms Cooper, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the National Crime Agency and intelligence chiefs are understood to have discussed a review into the smuggling gangs’ capabilities and operations.
More British investigators and spies will be based in Europe to hunt the organised crime networks.
Sources have told the Daily Express that Ms Cooper’s team is hoping MI5 spies will treat people smugglers like foreign spies and terrorists.
This could see them bug smugglers’ phones and trace their movements, this newspaper understands.
Migration Watch Chairman Alp Mehmet said: “This is peanuts.
“While additional resources on tackling illegal Channel crossings is welcome, there’s still no sign that the government means business on small boats.
“Only making clear that illegal arrivals will not be permitted to stay will send the right message to traffickers and migrants.
“By binning the Rwanda plan and expanding the accommodation capacity the government has made clear it expects the flow of boats to continue.
“The traffickers are laughing and smashing the gangs is just a pipe-dream.”
