Picture courtesy of PA media via BBC

 

The UK government is gearing up to tackle the alarming rise in illegal Channel crossings by introducing a new offence targeting those advertising such journeys online. Under the Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill, this offence could result in up to five years in prison, forming a crucial part of efforts to curb the number of migrants reaching the UK on small boats. The move aims to provide law enforcement with greater powers to dismantle the operations of criminal gangs facilitating these crossings.

 

Recent statistics reveal a staggering 25,000 migrants have reached the UK via small boats in 2025, setting a record for this time of the year. Critics, including the Conservatives, have labelled it a "national emergency" and accused the government of inadequate action. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the government's plans, describing them as "too little, too late," and emphasised the need for more decisive measures to tackle the issue.

 

The newly proposed offence would criminalise the creation and distribution of online materials promoting illegal immigration activities, like fake documents or job opportunities in the UK. This law, with its "extraterritorial reach," could hold those abroad accountable if they travel to the UK. Policing Minister Diana Johnson highlighted ongoing international collaboration to combat these criminal networks and dismantle their business models, reported the BBC.

 

An alarming 80% of small boat migrants claimed they used social media for guidance during their journey, connecting with agents linked to smuggling gangs. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned these operations as immoral, promising to combat the dangerous allure of false online promises. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is already taking significant action, having removed over 8,000 posts promoting organised immigration crime in 2024.

 

Case studies, such as the 17-year sentence for Preston-based smuggler Amanj Hasan Zada, illustrate the effectiveness of targeting social media-driven networks. The Home Office revealed that Albanian smugglers, advertising £12,000 "package deals" including UK accommodation and employment, would fall under the new law's purview.

 

Efforts to reduce crossings include bolstered collaboration with France, highlighted by a new agreement to return some migrants to France in exchange for asylum seekers with UK ties. However, critics question its potential impact given the current scale of crossings. Concurrently, the government has hardened the pathway to British citizenship for those arriving on small boats, reinforcing its tough stance on illegal immigration.

 

The crackdown on social media adverts constitutes an important step forward in the government's battle against the rising tide of illegal Channel crossings. By targeting the digital tactics of smuggling networks, authorities aim to cripple the business models that fuel this ongoing crisis.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-08-04

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The UK government is gearing up to tackle the alarming rise in illegal Channel crossings by introducing a new offence targeting those advertising such journeys online.

 

Tremendous

 

It will be as effective as the previous " Smash the Gangs "

 

These people do not care one hoot, for whatever laws you introduce. For every one that you may catch and jail, another will take their place. The money on offer is too good to turn down.

 

Same as the migrants. The Freebies available are acting as pull factors. As long as those pull factors are available, they will continue to come.

 

Instead of coming up with garbage, how about putting your peanut sized brains together, and coming up with a deterrent.

They think they can solve everything with new online laws.

 

They should try enforcing the laws they already have before introducing new ones.

 

That would require hard work and competence though. Easier to grab a headline with a piece of legislation. 

For a decade or more I've assumed that Hanlon's Razor was the appropriate conclusion regarding the rampant immigration into Britain.  That is, with regard to the policy makers, never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

 

In the case of British politicians, stupidity is in their DNA. 

 

However it is now patently obvious that mass immigration is a feature of the system, not a bug. The British ruling elites want Britain to become the new Yugoslavia. 

 

By 2040, Britain's GDP will drop by 90%, caliphates will rule every urban centre as fiefdoms, millions of indigenous Brits (and Hindus and Seikhs) will migrate to parts of the former commonwealth as war refugees, tribal and inter religious factions will be at each other's throats, there will be no actual government, and Britain will be an international pariah - similar to Yemen or Afghanistan.. 

 

Don't think it can happen? It's guaranteed, there is no undoing it. Even if all immigration was to cease immediately, it's still too late to prevent the inevitable demise into a third world hellhole.

 

Rule Britannia....Britons never, never shall be slaves. 

 

 

1 hour ago, The Cyclist said:

 

Tremendous

 

It will be as effective as the previous " Smash the Gangs "

 

These people do not care one hoot, for whatever laws you introduce. For every one that you may catch and jail, another will take their place. The money on offer is too good to turn down.

 

Same as the migrants. The Freebies available are acting as pull factors. As long as those pull factors are available, they will continue to come.

 

Instead of coming up with garbage, how about putting your peanut sized brains together, and coming up with a deterrent.

What like ‘Stop the boats’ 

 

or sending £700,000,000 to Rwanda in order to deport 4 volunteer deportees?

Politicians also lost at sea.

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What like ‘Stop the boats’ 

 

or sending £700,000,000 to Rwanda in order to deport 4 volunteer deportees?

 

After your comment yesterday. I'm astounded that you have the nerve to show your face.

 

But just to take you a stage further in your skooling.

 

" Stop the Boats " and Rwanda, had.

 

1. Illegals flooding to the ROI.from the UK.

 

2. Reduced crossings

 

Labour can take the blame for the so called farce of the Rwanda Scheme, by cancelling it on day one. When anyone with more than a single brain cell would have run it for 6 - 12 months as a trial, to gauge the deterrent effect.

 

Instead. We have have illegal migration across the Channel up by 50% and civil unrest springing up all over the Country.

 

Only mentalists would see that as a good result.

 

Only mentalists cannot see that a robust deterrent is required.

 

This is the hotel in Canary Wharf yesterday. The hotel that the creature of a Home Sec stated live on TV was not being used to house illegals.

 

 

 

Take a piece of advice. Dry your eyes and shut your face.

46 minutes ago, The Cyclist said:

 

After your comment yesterday. I'm astounded that you have the nerve to show your face.

 

But just to take you a stage further in your skooling.

 

" Stop the Boats " and Rwanda, had.

 

1. Illegals flooding to the ROI.from the UK.

 

2. Reduced crossings

 

Labour can take the blame for the so called farce of the Rwanda Scheme, by cancelling it on day way. When anyone with more than a single brain cell would have run it for 6 - 12 months as a trial, to gauge the deterrent effect.

 

Instead. We have have illegal migration across the Channel up by 50% and civil unrest springing up all over the Country.

 

Only mentalists would see that as a good result.

 

Only mentalists cannot see that a robust deterrent is required.

 

This is the hotel in Canary Wharf yesterday. The hotel that the creature of a Home Sec stated live on TV was not being used to house illegals.

 

 

 

Take a piece of advice. Dry your eyes and shut your face.

The Rwanda scheme was not a ‘Robust Deterrent’ it was costly failure to the tune of over £700,000,000.

 

Like so many of the Tory schemes, pishing money away with benefit to the people who’s money it was.

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The Rwanda scheme was not a ‘Robust Deterrent’ it was costly failure to the tune of over £700,000,000.

 

Show your workings

 

I have gave you mine

 

1. Crossings down

 

2. Illegals Asylum Seekers fleeing the safety of the UK for the ROI, which tells you all you need to know.

 

3 Labour wasted rhe £700 million by cancelling it on day one, rather than running with it for a trial period.

 

Now remind us all again why illegals flocking to UK is UP 50% since Labour cancelled it ?
 

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

25,000 migrants have reached the UK via small boats in 2025,

Really a low number comparing to (other) EU countries.

These British are behaving like "pussies" 🤗

five years for illegal entry may be a better option.

6 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

For a decade or more I've assumed that Hanlon's Razor was the appropriate conclusion regarding the rampant immigration into Britain.  That is, with regard to the policy makers, never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

 

In the case of British politicians, stupidity is in their DNA. 

 

However it is now patently obvious that mass immigration is a feature of the system, not a bug. The British ruling elites want Britain to become the new Yugoslavia. 

 

By 2040, Britain's GDP will drop by 90%, caliphates will rule every urban centre as fiefdoms, millions of indigenous Brits (and Hindus and Seikhs) will migrate to parts of the former commonwealth as war refugees, tribal and inter religious factions will be at each other's throats, there will be no actual government, and Britain will be an international pariah - similar to Yemen or Afghanistan.. 

 

Don't think it can happen? It's guaranteed, there is no undoing it. Even if all immigration was to cease immediately, it's still too late to prevent the inevitable demise into a third world hellhole.

 

Rule Britannia....Britons never, never shall be slaves. 

 

 

what are you smoking?

Seems to be not the best stuff

6 hours ago, The Cyclist said:

 

Tremendous

 

It will be as effective as the previous " Smash the Gangs "

 

These people do not care one hoot, for whatever laws you introduce. For every one that you may catch and jail, another will take their place. The money on offer is too good to turn down.

 

Same as the migrants. The Freebies available are acting as pull factors. As long as those pull factors are available, they will continue to come.

 

Instead of coming up with garbage, how about putting your peanut sized brains together, and coming up with a deterrent.

Build the wall build the wall  !!!!... all they gotta do is build a  rock wall along the beach and another one about 30 metres behind it and fill it up with sharks and create a sharkatorium. That would be a better deterrant than Trumps Aligator Alcatraz.

3 minutes ago, wavodavo said:

Build the wall build the wall  !!!!... all they gotta do is build a  rock wall along the beach and another one about 30 metres behind it and fill it up with sharks and create a sharkatorium. That would be a better deterrant than Trumps Aligator Alcatraz.

 

They just need to build a tented camp, somewhere remote, surrounded by triple concertina razor wire.

 

Tent, sleeping bag, and 3 tinfoil tray meals a day.

 

Army to pick them up on the beaches, transport to tented camp, camp guarded by the Army.

 

Here they stay until they spill there guts and beg to be repatriated home.

 

Salisbury Plain Training Area would be the ideal spot.

May the ghost of Winston Churchill haunt Number 10 as long as KS is in occupancy.

"We will fight them on the beaches......." 🫡

A cynical waste of time. The UK Labour party have identified support from immigrants as a means for staying in power. 

What if the P.M. guaranteed the boat-borne invaders a guaranteed lottery win on first foot placement on UK soil/sand, helped them overcome any fear of sea travel by taxiing them across (with useful assistance from the cooperating French)?

 

Would that stop them?

 

 

Oh, wait a minute......

The present UK government is about as much use as T.I.T.s on a fish. If any one of them had the brains of a rocking horse, they would still be stupid. Their stupidity knows no bounds, and we all know there is no cure for stupid. Give it 18 month to 2 years max and the country will be in debt beyond any redemption. 

5 hours ago, Surasak said:

The present UK government is about as much use as T.I.T.s on a fish. If any one of them had the brains of a rocking horse, they would still be stupid. Their stupidity knows no bounds, and we all know there is no cure for stupid. Give it 18 month to 2 years max and the country will be in debt beyond any redemption. 

And the usual nutter gives it the thumbs down. If you can't reply with something constructive, why do  you bother!?

3 hours ago, Surasak said:

And the usual nutter gives it the thumbs down. If you can't reply with something constructive, why do  you bother!?

 

And you consider your post constructive? (I added the second thumbs-down).

7 hours ago, RayC said:

 

And you consider your post constructive? (I added the second thumbs-down).

Well done. I have a box of medals you can come and help yourself from.

Just bloody legalise it! (I never thought I'd be saying this!): tax it even...

5 hours ago, Surasak said:

Well done. I have a box of medals you can come and help yourself from.

 

Thanks. I assume that I won this award for 'Most constructive comment'?

Are British politicians eligible for, and seeking, the EU's Kalergi Prize?  Perhaps no longer, unless they can pull the UK back into the Brussel-bureaucrats' prison-camp.
(Angela Merkel was awarded it, which might go some way to explain her open-borders policy)

 

Count Kalergi, himself an Austrian-Japanese, favoured a mish-mash world of mixed race, seemingly without national borders or distinct cultural identities.

 

Why?

 

One of the reasons he gave, which his promoters attempt to play down,  was that divided loyalties would cause social unrest, giving the elites the excuse to exercise greater control over their populations.

 

In a sense his ideas were at the opposite pole to so-called 'National Socialism' [a wholly misleading term].  This explains Herr Schicklgruber's hatred of him, and allows Kalergi's followers to paint him in a favourable light.  In reality the two philosophies have much in common, when regarded in terms of their ultimate aim.

 

An individual within a heterogeneous, amorphous mass of humans is relatively powerless.  Within a distinct, finite cultural identity, his views can carry weight.

 

Britain's primary problem is with its unrepresentative politicians.  Massive, uncontrolled and uncontested foreign invasion arises from the primary problem which produces mayhem in divers spheres.

 

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-8-2019-001516_EN.html