UK Government Launches New Sanctions Against Smugglers

Keir Starmer has announced a new sanctions regime aimed at dismantling people-smuggling gangs operating across Europe, promising to treat traffickers like terrorists and cyber criminals. The plan includes freezing the assets and banning the travel of those involved in human trafficking, marking it as a world-first initiative to tackle organized immigration crime. Starmer argues that targeting the financial incentives of these gangs will effectively deter their operations and reduce illegal crossings of the Channel. In addition to this approach, an anonymous source revealed a proposed plan for migrants to form co-operative societies to facilitate safe crossings, potentially undermining the smuggling gangs' profits. Labour's efforts come in response to criticism over the scrapped Rwanda asylum deal, with the party asserting that their measures will prioritize stopping the gangs rather than the migrants themselves. However, there are concerns about the effectiveness of freezing assets since many traffickers operate abroad and might relocate their finances before the new laws take effect.