New government sanctions against people-smuggling will be announced, targeting gang leaders and companies selling small boat equipment. This initiative aims to combat illegal immigration to the UK by freezing assets and banning entry. Key figures include those providing fake documents and financing small boats. Amid rising migrant crossings, the Prime Minister emphasizes disrupting smuggling operations. The effectiveness of these sanctions remains uncertain, with experts expressing skepticism about their impact on the industry as a whole and the continued existence of the small boats route.
The financial action is aimed at tackling illegal immigration to the UK and is central to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's plan to disrupt the English Channel crossings by "smashing the gangs" that are organising them.
People targeted by the sanctions include those who supply fake documents and finance small boats, as well as "middlemen" who push money through Hawala networks, an informal system for organising money transfers often used by smugglers.
In the first six months of this year, more than 20,000 people crossed in small boats, an increase of nearly 50% on the previous year, according to Home Office data.
Dr Madeleine Sumption, deputy chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, said she would be "surprised" if the sanctions were a "game changer for the industry as a whole, and for the existence of the small boats route."
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