Financial sanctions on smuggling gangs are 'not a silver bullet' insists Lammy as government targets 'men in suits’
David Lammy has stressed that government sanctions on people-smuggling gangs would not serve as a "silver bullet" for solving the Channel migrant crisis.
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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, the Foreign Secretary said the UK would target criminals "in suits" who could face asset freezes and travel bans as part of new efforts to tackle illegal immigration.
Gang leaders, corrupt police officers and companies selling small boat equipment for Channel crossings would all be targeted - but Mr Lammy insisted that more comprehensive action was needed to tackle the criminal trade, which he said was worth "£10 billion".
"I do not suggest it's a silver bullet. It's not," he said. "There's a whole litany of things that you've discussed many times on your show that any government would need to do if they're serious. But I think that can be part of the arsenal."
"I've realised that some of these criminals are not men in shell suits. They're men in suits. They've got bank accounts, they travel, they want to come to London."
He added: "I've realised that it was my department, the Foreign Office, that had the means through sanctions to deal with this and that this was the time for us to lead."
The sanctions announced by the government will target individuals and groups involved in supplying and financing small boats, producing fake passports, and laundering money via "middlemen" using the Hawala system, a legal money transfer method often linked to Channel crossings payments.
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The first wave of sanctions comes into force on Wednesday, with the government publicly naming those sanctioned. It will become illegal for UK businesses or banks to deal with them.
The initial list is expected to include more than 20 designations, potentially involving corrupt public officials and police officers, as part of efforts to disrupt the multi-billion-dollar industry.
Mr Lammy also addressed the wider global context of migration when asked about the 50% increase in those making the crossing to the UK in the last year.
He said: "Well, you'll also know that the truth is that 3.6% of the global population are migrants. Food insecurity, climate change, conflict are driving that.
"The total number now exceeds 122 million people across the planet. Now, we've got to do a lot in the UK to protect our borders, and that is what we're doing.
"We certainly can't have the UK being seen as a soft touch. And that's why I'm going after the men in suits that prey on these people that commit fraud, that commit deception.
"Sometimes they're not just smuggling people, they're smuggling guns and drugs as well. We're going after them with our sanctions regime. That comes from the Foreign Office."
The announcement follows legislation being introduced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to ramp up enforcement powers for police forces and partners to investigate and prosecute people smugglers.
Fresh sanctions aim to target organised crime gangs wherever they are in the world and disrupt their flow of cash, including freezing bank accounts, property and other assets, to hinder their activities.