UK Home Office statistics or reports on small boat crossings

UK to Implement World-First Sanctions on People Smuggling, Targeting Chinese Boatmakers

Jan 9, 2025, 11:46 AM

The UK government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, has announced plans to introduce a new sanctions regime aimed at combating irregular migration and organized immigration crime. This initiative, described as a 'world first', seeks to target the finances of people smuggling networks and disrupt their operations. The policy is part of the government's broader 'Plan for Change' to secure Britain's borders by dismantling criminal operations that profit from smuggling vulnerable individuals. The sanctions will enable the UK to ban those linked to people-smuggling from entering the country, freeze their assets, and punish those attempting to do business with them. The regime is expected to be in place by the end of the year and will complement other efforts to reduce small boat crossings and net migration. Since the election, the government has removed 16,400 migrants, the highest number since 2018. The sanctions will also target the often-Chinese makers of the boats used by smugglers, following over 36,800 crossings in 2024.