The government announced that nearly 13,500 migrants have been removed from Britain since the election. Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of continuing the previous Tory government’s so-called “hostile environment” approach to migration after the Home Office hailed a new crackdown on immigration crime.
On Sunday, the government announced that nearly 13,500 migrants have been removed from Britain since the election, as well as pledging to put £8m towards technology for immigration enforcement operations such as raids and arrests. It comes after Labour previously pledged to return more people who do not have a right to stay in the country halfway through their first year in office than any other six-month period since 2018.
While the government said the figures show it is on track to deliver on its returns pledge, which would need to be met by early January, campaigners have hit out at the approach, comparing it to that of the previous Tory government. The Conservative Party, which put a controversial plan to send migrants to Rwanda at the centre of their migration strategy, was often accused of using dehumanising language to describe refugees.
Julia Tinsley-Kent, head of policy and communications at the Migrants’ Rights Network told The Independent: “In line with previous governments, the new government has made it crystal clear that it is content to continue the trend of criminalising migration.
