How Labour Plans To Deal With The Channel Crossings

Keir Starmer said at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday that if Rishi Sunak were "serious about stopping the boats, he'd steal our plan for stopping the boats".

- John Rentoul

But what is Labour's plan? We don't hear about it much, because most of the attention has been focused on the controversial elements of the government's policy. However, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, did set out the opposition's plan last July.

In classic New Labour fashion, Cooper's is a five-point plan. Gordon Brown used to favour the rule of five, devising the five tests for whether Britain should adopt the euro; and Tony Blair's five promises on the pledge card were such a success during the 1997 election campaign that Sunak has now set out his five promises, while Starmer has set out Labour's five missions.

Cooper reiterated her plan on Tuesday, when she responded to Suella Braverman's statement on the government's Illegal Migration Bill. The five points are as follows:

1.A crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs, through a new crossborder police unit. This would use the money from scrapping the "unworkable" Rwanda scheme to employ new Border Force staff.

2. Clear the backlog and end hotel use. The government, rather belatedly, hopes to do the same thing.