Shabana Mahmood: ‘The UK has lost control of its borders… and its eroding trust’
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood will today warn that failure to bring order to the borders will undermine public trust in politicians.
Ms Mahmood, who is hosting a summit of European home affairs ministers in London to discuss migration routes in the Western Balkans, is expected to call for stronger international cooperation to combat illegal migration.
He will tell his counterparts that governments have lost the trust of voters who expect them to control their borders, saying: ‘People rightly expect their governments to decide who should enter and who should leave their countries.
‘That is not the case in this country today – and I know in many of yours.
‘Failure to bring order to our borders erodes not only confidence in us as political leaders, but also confidence in the credibility of the state.’
The meeting brings together ministers from across the Western Balkans, including North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, among other European allies.
The aim is to secure new agreements that will crack down on smuggling gangs and prevent illegal immigration.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood will today warn that lack of order at Europe’s borders is undermining public trust in politicians and even the idea of the nation state
With the Balkans increasingly becoming an important transit route for both people and drugs, around 22,000 people were kidnapped from the region by criminal gangs in 2024, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Ms Mahmood will also use the event to criticize Nigel Farage and Reform UK, accusing them of wanting to ‘turn inward’ rather than work with international partners.
‘Illegal immigration is a common threat that requires a common international response,’ he will say.
‘To those who believe the answer is to withdraw or refuse to cooperate, I say this: By coming together, we will make all our borders and countries stronger.’
Graeme Biggar, director general of the National Crime Agency, will attend the summit to discuss how to dismantle the criminal networks behind people smuggling and trafficking.
Ministers will also hold a session on combating violence against women and girls.
Conservatives accused Ms Mahmood of hypocrisy, saying her government had ‘lost control’ of the UK’s borders.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘The first nine months of this year have been the worst on record for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel.
‘The Conservatives will leave the ECHR to allow us to remove all illegal immigrants within a week of their arrival and then crossings will soon stop.’
