Teesside MP calls for stronger action to dismantle criminal gangs and stop illegal crossings

16 July 2025

In Parliament this week, Luke Myer MP called on the Home Secretary to give firmer assurances that the Government is taking effective action to stop small boat crossings.

Speaking during Home Office questions, Luke said:

“The small boats crisis is one of the single biggest issues that my constituents raise with me, and although the Government have made progress on returns, crossings are still happening. What assurances can the Home Secretary give my constituents that these gangs will be dismantled and that the crossings will stop?”

In response, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:

“My hon. Friend is right to refer both to returns—we have increased returns of failed asylum seekers by more than 20% since the election—and to the action against the criminal gangs. We know that there are Iraqi Kurdish gangs in particular operating in northern France, so we have a new agreement in place with the French Government, the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, to pursue those gangs.”

Luke welcomed the progress on returns but made clear that the public expect the crossings to be brought to an end. He continues to support tough enforcement against criminal smuggling networks, practical returns agreements, and an immigration system that is both fair and properly enforced.

Reference:

Luke’s exchange with the Home Secretary can be read in full in Hansard:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-07-07/debates/D896140B-982C-4970-879D-83BD6B4959F1/SmallBoatCrossings?highlight=small%20boats#contribution-D262DFFC-DE23-4A52-8EAF-669E55CB6AC6