HOME SECRETARY Shabana Mahmood has warned that Britain’s failure to control illegal migration is undermining public confidence and weakening faith in government.
Speaking at a summit in London with home ministers from the Western Balkans, Mahmood said border failures were “eroding trust not just in us as political leaders, but in the credibility of the state itself”.
Her comments come as migrant Channel crossings have risen by 30 per cent this year, with 35,500 people making the journey so far. Across Europe, almost 22,000 migrants were smuggled through the Western Balkans in 2024.
Mahmood said only coordinated international action could end the crisis, warning against calls to pull Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) — a move backed by Reform UK and some Conservatives, reported the Telegraph.
“To those who think the answer is to turn inwards or walk away from international cooperation, I say we are stronger together,” she told delegates. “The public rightly expect their government to decide who enters and who must leave.”
Mahmood pointed to new Labour measures, including a deal with France based on a “one in, one out” system, an agreement with Germany to seize smugglers’ boats, and a pact with Iraq to improve border security. Britain has also regained access to key EU intelligence systems.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, dismissed her comments as “meaningless while the pull factors to the UK remain”.
Mahmood’s speech follows a tightening of immigration rules announced this week. From January, foreign workers will need to pass an A-level standard English test to qualify for skilled visas — a step up from the current GCSE level.
Employers will also face a 32 per cent rise in the immigration skills charge, while international graduates will see their post-study work rights cut from two years to 18 months.
The measures are aimed at bringing down net migration, which currently stands at 431,000 after peaking at 906,000 in 2023.
Mahmood has also revised modern slavery rules to stop migrants exploiting loopholes to avoid deportation and authorised the first charter flights returning small boat migrants to France. So far, 26 people have been returned, with plans to increase removals in the coming months.
Her tougher stance comes amid criticism from the opposition. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the government of “losing control of our borders”, saying record Channel crossings showed that Labour’s policies were failing to deter illegal migration.
He added: “The Conservatives would leave the ECHR, allowing us to remove illegal immigrants within a week. That’s how you stop the boats.”
