LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer missed “an opportunity to inject some decency and compassion into the debate around refugees” by focusing on “smashing the gangs” behind risky Channel crossings in small boats, refugee campaign group Care4Calais said today.

And leading trade unionist Matt Wrack, FBU’s general secretary and TUC president, said Sir Keir “was in danger of pandering to right-wing Tory rhetoric.”

Sir Keir said an anti-terrorism-style international crackdown tackling people-smuggling gangs would be the focus of a package of measures introduced under a Labour government.

These would also include increasing the number of civil servants dealing with asylum applications and reaching a new agreement with the EU on refugees.

Care4Calais chief executive Steve Smith said that neither Sir Keir nor Prime Minister Rishi Sunak understand the causes and effects of the global refugee crisis. 

“I was in Calais with our team delivering humanitarian aid to refugees just two weeks ago,” he said.

“I met men, women and children, each with their own stories of the horrors they have escaped in their home countries, such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria and Eritrea.

“Each had made the heartbreaking decision to flee their homes in pursuit of a safe future.

“None of them are in Calais because they want to be. They are there because the current government has effectively closed every safe route to claim asylum in the UK. And that’s the crux of this problem.

“If refugees in Calais had the option of a safe route, they wouldn’t choose to risk their lives crossing the Channel in a small boat.

“It is the government’s failure to offer safe routes that has created the ‘market’ for criminal gangs to exploit refugees who have fled conflict, torture and modern slavery.

“Until their ‘market’ is disrupted, gangs will continue to exploit refugees seeking to claim asylum in the UK.”

He said Sir Keir should have announced introduction of a safe passage visa, similar to the scheme in place for Ukrainians. 

“Offering refugees safe passage would put smugglers out of business and end small boat crossings overnight,” he said.

Mr Wrack added: “Labour must offer a sensible alternative to the inflammatory approach of Tory ministers.”