Britain hosts key nations to coordinate fight against people smugglers
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like all his predecessors for more than a decade, is seeking new ways to stop migrants coming illegally to Britain, where immigration remains a key issue for voters who worry about the pressure it puts on scarce resources like healthcare and housing.
Monday's Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) Summit looks to address every stage of the global industry in people smuggling, including the supply chains for the small boats used to travel from France to Britain, and the tech firms whose social media platforms are used to advertise such illicit crossings.
"This vile trade exploits the cracks between our institutions, pits nations against one another and profits from our inability at the political level to come together," Starmer will tell the summit, according to advance extracts of his speech.
Representatives from Meta, X and TikTok will participate.
Migrants from North Africa, the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere pay thousands of pounds to traffickers for places in small inflatable boats that then try to cross one of the world's busiest shipping channels to reach the English coast.
Starmer was elected last year, promising to "smash the gangs" behind the crossings. He immediately ditched the previous Conservative government's policy to deter migrants by setting up a scheme to deport them to Rwanda.
More than 36,800 people made the crossing in 2024, 25% more than the previous year, according to British government data. More than 6,600 people have crossed successfully so far in 2025.
"I simply do not believe Organised Immigration Crime cannot be tackled. We've got to combine our resources, share intelligence and tactics, and tackle the problem upstream at every step of the people smuggling routes," Starmer will say.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
27 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Elon Musk doesn't deserve his new $24 billion payday, new data suggests
Last month, Elon Musk reached a new milestone: He became the first person in modern history to achieve a net worth of $400 billion. Musk made the jump after his rocket company, SpaceX, was valued at $350 billion recently, causing a $20 billion jump in his net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The jump started speculation that Musk could become the world's first trillionaire as soon as 2027. Related: Elon Musk's net worth: Setbacks on the road to trillionaire status But the truth is, Musk's finances have taken a hit in 2025. Year to date, his fortune is down $80.5 billion and currently sits at $352 billion, thanks mainly to a Tesla stock that is down nearly 25% year to date. While Musk is barely scraping by, Tesla's board just threw him an 11-figure lifesaver. On August 3, the board approved a stock award of 96 million shares to Musk, tentatively valued at $23.7 billion, but with Tesla's gains Monday, that award is already worth nearly $30 billion. According to a Tesla corporate filing Monday, Musk need only remain "in continuous service as CEO or as an executive officer responsible for product development or operations" for two years from August 3 for the stock options to vest. Musk only has to pay $23.34 per share of restricted stock that vests. At the time of this writing, Monday, August 4, Tesla shares were trading at $307.11. While Tesla shareholders have voted repeatedly to reward Musk with multi-billion paydays, new data suggests this latest reward may not be earned. Image source: Moneymaker/Getty Images Elon Musk's political activism was an asset in 2024. Musk picked the right horse when he used at least $250 million of his own money to help get Donald Trump re-elected. Trump's win pushed Tesla's stock price, and Musk's fortune, to new heights. But Musk's short time in Washington as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency and his relationship with Trump has quickly turned from an asset to a liability for Tesla. Tesla brand loyalty peaked in June 2024, according to S&P Global Mobility data seen by Reuters, when 73% of Tesla-owning households looking to buy a new car purchased another Tesla. Related: Elon Musk has a simple solution for Tesla's problems in Europe This represented significant brand devotion, since among auto brands from the fourth quarter of 2021 through the third quarter of 2024, only Ford's quarterly loyalty rate exceeded 60%, and only one time. Yet more recent data, which tracks registration data across all 50 states, shows that Tesla's loyalty rate bottomed in March, with just 49.9% of Tesla owners looking for another. That number ticked back up to 57.4% in May. Musk's last day at DOGE was May 30. S&P analyst Tom Libby told Reuters that Tesla's decline from the unquestioned industry brand loyalty leader to industry average was "unprecedented." "I've never seen this rapid of a decline in such a short period of time," he said. For the four years before July 2024, Tesla acquired, on average, five new households for every one it lost, well ahead of any rivals. The next-closest competitor was Hyundai's luxury Genesis brand, which averaged 2.8 new households for every one it lost. But since February 2025, Tesla has only gained fewer than two households for every one it lost to a competitor. Related: Tesla stock tumbles following latest Elon Musk miscalculation The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Renewables and fossil fuels not ‘either-or', says Reeves after Trump comments
Renewable and non-renewable energy sources are not an 'either-or', Rachel Reeves has said after Donald Trump described North Sea oil as a 'treasure chest'. On a visit to Lossiemouth on the North Sea coast in Moray, the Chancellor described oil and gas as 'incredibly important for the UK and our energy security'. Her appearance in Scotland followed a five-day visit from the US president, who called on the UK Government to 'incentivise the drillers, fast'. Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'North Sea oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense.' Asked whether she would 'unlock' the 'treasure chest', Ms Reeves told the PA news agency: 'Oil and gas are incredibly important for the UK and our energy security. 'And oil and gas is going to play an important role in our energy mix for decades to come. 'It's why, alongside the private sector, we're investing in carbon capture and storage, which is absolutely essential for supporting energy intensive industries. 'But it's not either-or. 'At the same time, we're investing in clean homegrown energy, including at Berwick Bank in Scotland, which will create thousands of new jobs and power millions of homes. 'And that's what we need to do to make sure that our economy has this energy security that we need, that we bring down bills and bring more good jobs to Scotland.' Berwick Bank in the North Sea has this week received a green light from the Scottish Government. The proposed wind farm, off the coast of East Lothian, could add more than 4.1 gigawatts of capacity, which according to developer SSE Renewables is enough electricity to power more than six million homes annually. But Mr Trump criticised existing wind farms during his visit, when he said: 'When we go to Aberdeen, you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen, the height of a 50-storey building.' Gesturing with his hands, he added: 'You can take 1,000 times more energy out of a hole in the ground this big.' Conservative shadow Scottish secretary Andrew Bowie has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calling for a review of policies affecting the oil and gas industry. 'As President Trump has said, the UK's 'very high' tax on oil and gas companies is a deterrent to investment,' he wrote. 'The extension of the energy profits levy (EPL), coupled with uncertainty around future licensing and investment signals, has created a climate of instability that threatens jobs, innovation and the region's economic resilience. 'President Donald Trump's remarks during your visit – calling Aberdeen the 'oil capital of Europe' and urging the UK to 'bring it back' – reflect a sentiment shared by many in the region. 'May I urge you to consider the president's call to 'incentivise' domestic production of hydrocarbons? 'Oil and gas still have a vital role to play in our energy mix and economic future; British people would rather see the UK benefit from domestic exploration and drilling than import more from Norway and Qatar.' The West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP added: 'Will you urgently call a meeting in Downing Street to conduct the review in partnership with industry leaders, our world-leading supply chain business, and the local workforce to ensure a coherent and sustainable path forward?' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
PM urged to review oil policy after Trump labels North Sea ‘a treasure chest'
Donald Trump's call to 'incentivise' North Sea oil production should prompt an urgent Downing Street meeting, the shadow Scottish secretary has said. Andrew Bowie called for a review of policies affecting the oil and gas industry. The US president was in Scotland earlier this week and during his visit he described the North Sea as 'a treasure chest for the United Kingdom', and warned fossil fuel taxes make 'no sense'. He also took aim at 'some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen', referring to wind turbines off the coast near Aberdeen. Mr Bowie has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for a meeting in London to explore the effects of oil and gas policies. He referred to the windfall tax on the profits made from extracting UK oil and gas, introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2022 and retained until 2030 by Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves. In his letter to Sir Keir, Mr Bowie wrote: 'As president Trump has said, the UK's 'very high' tax on oil and gas companies is a deterrent to investment. 'The extension of the energy profits levy (EPL), coupled with uncertainty around future licensing and investment signals, has created a climate of instability that threatens jobs, innovation and the region's economic resilience. 'President Donald Trump's remarks during your visit – calling Aberdeen the 'oil capital of Europe' and urging the UK to 'bring it back' – reflect a sentiment shared by many in the region. 'May I urge you to consider the president's call to 'incentivise' domestic production of hydrocarbons? 'Oil and gas still have a vital role to play in our energy mix and economic future; British people would rather see the UK benefit from domestic exploration and drilling than import more from Norway and Qatar.' Mr Bowie, who is the Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, added: 'Will you urgently call a meeting in Downing Street to conduct the review in partnership with industry leaders, our world-leading supply chain business, and the local workforce to ensure a coherent and sustainable path forward?' During his visit with Sir Keir, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social website: 'North Sea Oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. 'They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, 'we don't want you'. 'Incentivise the drillers, fast. A vast fortune to be made for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people.' Speaking at his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, Mr Trump said: 'When we go to Aberdeen, you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen, the height of a 50-storey building.' Gesturing with his hands, he added: 'You can take 1,000 times more energy out of a hole in the ground this big.' Sir Keir at the time said oil and gas are 'going to be with us for a very long time, and that'll be part of the mix, but also wind, solar, increasingly nuclear'. Aberdeen has been chosen by the Government to host the headquarters of GB Energy, a state-owned company set up to accelerate the rollout of renewables. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
