S
ir, Keir Starmer has vowed to defeat trafficking gangs (“Starmer promises to smash people-smuggling gangs”, Sep 14). Unfortunately, these gangs operate and commit crimes outside his jurisdiction, in France. Equally unfortunately, the results aid the French in reducing the number of migrants in France, so there is less incentive for them to address the problem. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, thinks that speeding up assessments will help. But that will only hasten migrants towards the bottleneck: the provision of appropriate housing for those at the end of the process. Unless Cooper can produce many more houses, in areas where inhabitants do not automatically object, she will fail.
Nick Beeson
Ilkley, W Yorks
Sir, The Labour leader vows to treat people-smugglers “like terrorists”
