Small boat migrants will be banned from claiming slavery protections under fresh laws being proposed by the Government, reports have suggested.
Sir Keir Starmer is set not to overturn a range of measures he opposed in the Tory’s Illegal Migration Act, passed in 2023.
Border Force officers will also be authorised to stop and search migrants arriving in small boats, including personal searches.
These are among the measures which the Government will unveil on Thursday as part of its new counterterrorism-style powers to target people smugglers, including plans to seize mobile phones and financial assets.
Investigators will also be given powers to copy data found on mobile devices and use it to prosecute people who facilitate the Channel crossings.
More details about the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will be released later.
It is understood Sir Keir will not overturn a ban on illegal migrants claiming protections under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and powers to detain child migrants for up to 28 days.
Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, was one of the most vocal opponents of the plans to bar migrants from modern slavery claims.
She described the Illegal Migration Act as “a traffickers’ dream, a tool for their control” because it hid victims of modern slavery from UK authorities.
Over 1,000 migrants have already crossed the channel on small boats so far this year.
It comes as Sir Keir pledges to “smash the gangs” who coordinate the crossings.
