Small-boat migrants get discount on Channel crossing if they agree to work for crime gangs

Criminal gangs are luring illegal migrants to make life-threatening journeys across the Channel by promising to employ them once they arrive in the UK. Migrants are paying hundreds or thousands of pounds for the chance to cross the Channel in unsafe dingies, some of them packed full of people paying up to £4,000 a head. But they can receive a discount if they agree to work for the criminals behind the racket once in this country.

The vile trade was revealed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in the House of Commons, as she vowed a crackdown on illegal working of all kinds. She said: "I do think frankly it has been too easy to work illegally in this country for too long, and we know that one of the things that the criminal gangs say to people is, 'it will be easy to get a job'. They will even give people discounts if they can come and work for those same criminal gangs operating in the UK."

So far 22,492 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel this year, the highest figure ever for this point in the year,

But the number could have been far higher even than this, the Home Secretary told MPs. She revealed 385 boats have crossed the Channel carrying migrants illegally, but France has stopped 496.

Her statement came days after the Government secured a new agreement with France over returning migrants who had arrived on small boats.

Ms Cooper warned: "Criminal gangs are operating new tactics, increasing the overcrowding of boats so that more people arrive, and loading them in shallow waters, exploiting the French rules that means their authorities have not been able to intervene in the water."

The Home Secretary referred to "appalling scenes" of people clambering onto crowded boats in shallow waters, and said French police had faced "disgraceful violence" from gang members behind the crossings.

She continued: "We cannot stand for this. That is why the new action agreed with France includes establishing a new French Compagnie de Marche of specialist enforcement officers, with stronger public order powers to address increases in violence on French beaches and prevent boat launches before they reach the water."

Last week's agreement saw a deal struck for a one in, one out system that would see a small boat migrant exchange for a legal asylum seeker.

No details have been given about how many people will be covered by the scheme, but reports from France have indicated it could initially be limited to around 50 a week - a small fraction of the weekly average this year of 782.

Priority will be given to people from countries where they are most likely to be granted asylum as genuine refugees, who are most likely to be exploited by smuggling gangs and also asylum seekers who have connections to the UK.

The accord came at the end of a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the UK.

Ms Cooper said: "The new agreement reached at the summit last week means stronger partnership working with source and transit countries to prevent illegal migration."

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp rubbished the idea that progress had been made on the issue, and said statistics showed small boat crossings had risen under Labour.

Mr Philp said the 12 months since Labour's election last July had seen a 40% rise year-on-year in terms of crossings.

He said: "The Home Secretary comes here today sounding rather pleased with herself. I'm afraid she has no reason to.

"A year ago, she promised to smash the gangs, she said again and again that was her plan, indeed it was her only plan. Yet today, there is no mention of what was once her favourite catchphrase.

"That's because her claim to smash the gangs has become a joke, an embarrassment to her and to the Government."

He added that rather than closing asylum hotels, there were 3,000 more people in them than last year.

"She is setting records, just all the wrong ones," he said.

Ms Cooper replied: "This crisis, the small boats chaos, went on for 340 weeks under the Tories, a period in which when he was immigration minister, overall migration near trebled and small boat crossings increased tenfold when he was the immigration minister in charge."

She later said the Government's plan would involve greater co-operation with other governments, rather than "standing at the shoreline shouting at the sea".

Ms Cooper said: "We will best strengthen our border security by working with countries on the other side of those borders who face exactly the same challenges far better than just standing at the shoreline shouting at the sea."