UK Labour leader promises to ‘smash the gangs’ to tackle small boats crossings

British opposition leader Keir Starmer pledged on Friday to “smash the gangs” who bring asylum seekers to Britain in boats, saying a Labour government would hire hundreds of enforcement officials and use counterterrorism powers to target them.

Accusing the Conservative government of “gesture politics” and rubbishing its plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as a waste of money, Starmer said if in government Labour would work with European partners to break the gangs’ business model.