Suspected people smugglers to be hit with travel bans in King’s Speech

Suspected people smugglers will face travel bans under new counter terrorism-style laws to be set out in Sir Keir Starmer’s first King’s Speech next week.

The new legislation will give the police, Border Force and intelligence officers working under the new Border Security Command powers to treat people smugglers like terrorists.

The Border Security Bill, to be set out in the King’s Speech, will allow officers and investigators to use serious crime prevention orders against suspected people smugglers. They enable law enforcement to place tough conditions on travel in the UK or abroad as well as on their access to the internet and banking.

Any breach of the order carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in jail. They can be applied both before a suspected people smuggler is convicted or if they are found guilty.

They have previously been restricted to terrorists but will be extended to immigration crime in the legislation. Border Force officials will also get expanded powers under the 2000 Terrorism Act for enhanced stop and search powers for anyone suspected of being a people smuggler.

Police are required in traditional stop and searches to have “genuine and objectively reasonable suspicion” that they will find a banned weapon or item like drugs for use in a crime. The new powers will enable officers to carry out personal searches, examine and seize mobile phones and copy any data on the devices of any suspects at ports and border control.

Like terrorism police, officers could get warrants to search suspected people smugglers’ premises and seize items before an offence was committed and apply to courts for early access to financial information on suspects.

“By replicating this power for organised immigration crime, we can ensure that investigators can raid and seize relevant information and property from addresses linked to people smuggling before an offence has taken place,” said a policy document.

Hundreds of police officers will be deployed across Europe to stop people smugglers as part of the new UK Border Security Command.

On Sunday, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, announced the first steps in setting up the command by kickstarting the search from Monday for a former police, military or intelligence chief to head it.

Neil Basu, a former head of UK counter-terrorism policing, is expected to apply for the job and is likely to be a frontrunner. Mr Basu was overlooked by the previous Government to head the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Metropolitan Police. Another contender could be former soldier David Neal, ex-chief inspector of borders and immigration.

It will also see up to 1,000 extra officers recruited by the NCA, Border Force and MI5 specifically to target smuggling gangs. A “significant number” will be based across Europe working with Europol and European police forces.

The command is modelled on the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) set up by the last Labour Government to overhaul and coordinate the approach to national security.

It will be funded by the money saved by scrapping Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme, which is expected to generate some £75 million in the first year. Ms Cooper also announced on Monday that she had ordered an audit of the Rwanda scheme to establish how much it cost and the Government’s liabilities.

Britain can end the Rwanda scheme by terminating the agreement through a break clause that allowed both governments to leave it. Under the clause, the UK will not have to make any further payments from the date the break clause is activated.

The UK has already paid £270m, with the latest £50m instalment handed over in April this year. By ending the scheme, Britain will save two further £50m payments in 2025 and 2026.

The agreement stipulated that Britain would still be expected to pay for any migrants who had already been relocated. None have been deported so far although two failed asylum seekers have voluntarily gone to Rwanda under a separate agreement where they were offered a £3,000 incentive to go.

The agreement specifically rules out any refunds to Britain of any of the £270m paid or any additional money already advanced to Rwanda.