Labour piles £15m into deportation deals for small boat migrants in 11 countries

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Home Office is spending £15m on returns partnerships with 11 countries to boost the number of deportations of small boat migrants, The Independent can reveal. A Labour spokesperson said: “As the home secretary announced last week, the government is planning to deliver a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced. “The home secretary is sorting out the mess they left behind and that means continued international cooperation with partner nations, and working closely with a number of countries across the globe as part of the mission to end irregular migration.” The party hopes it will serve as a contrast with the Conservative government and be seen as part of a drive to implement practical border control solutions rather than the “gimmicks” they accused Rishi Sunak and a slew of former home secretaries of pursuing. The newly elected Labour MP for Dover Mike Tapp, who has worked closely with Yvette Cooper, told The Independent: “As the home secretary announced recently, the government is planning to deliver a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK, something that is increasingly important given the dire inheritance that the Tories left us in the asylum and migration system.