The Prime Minister has insisted he is “determined that we will retake control” of the UK’s borders, during a visit to Albania.
Speaking to broadcasters in the Balkan country, Sir Keir Starmer said: “It is totally unacceptable that anybody is getting on a small boat and crossing the Channel to the United Kingdom.
“The last government lost control of the borders.
“I am determined that we will retake control of the borders.
“That means that we have got to have a concerted effort to smash the gangs that are running this vile trade.”
He added: “What we have done in our joint work with Albania is shown that by working with other countries, this morning we saw law enforcement from Albania alongside law enforcement from the UK, driven down those numbers.
“I want to see more of that. We are absolutely determined that we are going to clear up the mess that we have been left and make sure that we get the control we need of our borders.”