Britain’s Labour prime minister is set to sign a new border security agreement with China in a bid to tackle Britain’s ongoing ‘small boat’ crisis.
The deal, following Keir Starmer’s meetings with Chinese president Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, aims to curb English Channel crossings by cracking down on the supply of small boat engines and equipment, often sourced from China.
The UK government reported that over 60% of small boats used by smuggling gangs last year contained Chinese-manufactured engines. Under the agreement, UK law enforcement will collaborate with Chinese authorities to track supply routes, share intelligence, and engage with manufacturers to prevent equipment from reaching criminal networks.
The Prime Minister stated:
Organised immigration crime and the business model of the smuggling gangs goes beyond borders and our approach to shut them down must do the same. This deal will cut off the supply at source—stopping crossings before lives are put at risk and restoring control to our borders.
The pact will also enhance cooperation on removing people with no right to remain in the UK and targeting Chinese gangs involved in synthetic opioid production.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized Starmer’s handling of small boat crossings, saying:
Labour has tried gimmick after gimmick….The fact is that Labour cancelled the Rwanda removals deterrent before it even started.
None of this has worked, and neither will this. The Conservative plan is the only one that will work—leave the ECHR [European Convention on Human Rights] enabling every illegal immigrant to be deported within a week of arrival.
Rwanda has initiated arbitration proceedings against the UK, claiming £100 million (€116 million) in unpaid treaty obligations and alleging the UK failed to resettle refugees already hosted in the East African country.
In 2025 alone, over 41,474 migrants completed the 21-mile journey, with an additional 23,242 arrivals during Starmer’s first six months. Starmer’s daily average of 117 arrivals far exceeds Boris Johnson’s 58 per day, who reached 65,784 in 39 months.
