Predictably, Sir Keir is again poised to oppose Tory action

LABOUR last night looked likely to oppose the Government’s crackdown on Channel migrants after Sir Keir Starmer dismissed it as ‘not workable’.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Labour would wait to see the details before reaching a final verdict although she questioned if the package would contain any new measures.

But Sir Keir, who opposed previous laws designed to make it harder for those crossing the Channel illegally to claim asylum, suggested he would also order his MPs to vote against the latest plans. The

Labour leader told LBC Radio: ‘I don’t think going on with this sort of legislation is the way forward.’

Unlike Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir did not include dealing with illegal immigration in his five ‘missions’ for fixing Britain’s problems.

Yesterday he said more resources should go into tackling the criminal gangs behind people smuggling rather than tightening up the law. Sir Keir added ministers had to be ‘very careful with international law here’, warning: ‘This isn’t a workable plan.’

Ms Cooper said the main priority should be ‘action to tackle the criminal gangs’.

She added: ‘At the moment a lot of this looks like a rerun of the things they had in last year’s law just nine months ago, which ended up making things worse and the crossings leapt to a record high.’ Labour health spokesman Wes Streeting said his party had already seen enough to know it would oppose the crackdown.

He accused ministers of a ‘cynical rebranding’ of previous initiatives. Asked if Labour would oppose the new plan, Mr Streeting replied: ‘Of course we’re against it – it’s unworkable.’