We must take the fight to people smugglers upstream to stop the boats

The challenges we face from illegal crossings to the UK are stark, but the problem does not solely exist at the cliffs of Dover or on the beaches of Dunkirk.

For most of those departing France in small boats, these dangerous and unnecessary crossings are the final leg of a much longer journey across continents and through the western Balkans, or across the Mediterranean and through central Europe.

The global nature of the migration crisis requires the UK to pursue international solutions in order to stop the boats. At each juncture along the migrant route is an opportunity to intervene before migrants are within reach of the UK.

If the UK can work together with transit countries to reduce illegal migration, and stem the flow from source countries through development, the logical outcome is that this will reduce the number of people travelling into, and through, Europe – and eventually reaching our shores.

Supporting our international partners to tackle illegal migration is, therefore, not only the morally right thing to do , but is ultimately in our self-interest.

That is why I have spent the past week meeting the governments of strategically important countries across Northern Africa, central and Western Europe, in order to strengthen our relationships and develop practical ways to help stem the flow of illegal migration plaguing societies.

As immigration minister, I felt it was important to experience the journey a migrant may take – from Algeria to Tunisia, and onwards to Italy and France.

Each state is taking robust steps to secure their borders , and each welcomed the UK’s support for deeper operational collaboration, intelligence sharing and more targeted deployment of our resources.

In Italy, for instance, we agreed to set up a reciprocal visit programme between our border officers to share best practice and intelligence.

Underpinning our work abroad is the recognition that we must relentlessly pursue the people smuggling gangs who are orchestrating the flow of people.

And backed by increased funding to law enforcement, such as the National Crime Agency, the UK is deepening our joint work with strategically important countries to dismantle, disrupt and deny criminal gangs upstream.

My trip underscores the Government’s co-ordinated strategy to tackle illegal migration long before migrants are within reach of the UK.

Just this week, the Home Office launched the latest phase of our upstream deterrence social media campaign, a carefully targeted effort to combat the disinformation peddled by people smugglers in areas where populations are particularly likely to migrate, in order to deter economic migrants setting off on dangerous and unnecessary journeys.

And in December last year, we signed a joint communique with Albania, a safe country, so that we can facilitate swifter returns of people with no right to remain in the UK and destroy the people smugglers’ business model.

Since then, more than 1,000 Albanian nationals with no right to be in the UK have been returned via weekly flights.

Leading the international community and deepening co-operation with our partners is key to stop the boats, because no country can tackle the global migration crisis alone.

That’s why the Prime Minister continues to place the scourge of illegal migration on the agenda on the world stage. Having raised the matter at the G7 and Council of Europe, he again reinforced the need for co-ordinated action at the summit of world leaders in Moldova this week.

Illegal migration ruins lives

As we intensify our efforts abroad to stop the flow of people crossing the European continent, we continue to suffuse our system at home with deterrence to remove the incentives to make dangerous, unnecessary and illegal crossings to the UK.

Next week, the Illegal Migration Bill is back in the Lords as it makes its journey through Parliament. Once passed, this transformational legislation will change the law so that people who come to the UK illegally can be detained and swiftly returned to their home country, if it is safe to do so, or removed to a safe third country such as Rwanda.

Having witnessed the reality of the situation first-hand on the shores of North Africa and the control centres of the Italian coastguard, one thing is clearer than ever: illegal migration is one of the greatest injustices of our time. It ruins lives, damages communities and tests our security.

Along the migratory journey is a trail of death and human misery. Those that prevail are the young men who are rich enough to pay the smugglers, and fit enough to make the journey: those in need are left behind. It must end.

That’s why the Government is working around the clock, both at home and abroad, to remove the incentives to travel and tackle the organised crime groups , so we can deliver on our promise to the British people to stop the boats.