Yvette Cooper

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed support for plans to negotiate with countries such as Vietnam, Turkey, and Iraq to help manage the flow of illegal migrants into the UK. Although Starmer refrained from providing specifics, he acknowledged the possibility of such talks, emphasizing that international cooperation is essential in addressing the issue of illegal migration.

The number of migrants arriving in Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats has topped 25,000 since the start of the year, provisional figures showed on Monday.

The figures come as the new Labour government, like the last Conservative administration, struggles to reduce the cross-Channel arrivals.

The U.K. government on Wednesday announced new measures to curb the arrival of migrants on boats from France and to step up the removal of failed asylum seekers.

It said 100 new "specialist intelligence and investigation officers" would be recruited to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to help dismantle smuggling gangs that run the dangerous Channel crossings.