Fresh twist in small boats saga as Keir Starmer signs Rwanda-style deal to deport migrants to Atlantic island
SIR Keir Starmer has signed a Rwanda-style deal to deport illegal small boat arrivals to an island in the Atlantic.
Those landing on Chagos Islands will be sent 5,000 miles to another British territory, St Helena.
It comes after the PM — who dismissed the Rwanda deal as an “expensive gimmick” — was accused of damaging the UK’s global standing by handing the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Illegal entries will be shifted from the Indian Ocean archipelago to St Helena until China ally Mauritius takes full control.
Hundreds of boats have arrived there from Sri Lanka since 2021.
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick accused Sir Keir of “rank hypocrisy” over the move.
He said: “He’s scrapped our Rwanda deterrent because of his petty party politics, with no regard for the damage small boat crossings cause our country.
“This Labour Government has shown it won’t put our national interest first.” Meanwhile, St Helena councillor Andrew Turner said “any influx” would have an impact on the island as only 4,500 people live there.
He added: “The cultural shock alone would have a big impact.”
A government spokesman said the Chagos Islands had “never been a suitable long-term location for migrants” and the move would “protect the integrity of British territorial borders”.
CHANNEL TOT DIES
A BABY died when a migrant boat sank in the English Channel.
Another 65 migrants were rescued by a French navy patrol boat off Wissant, about ten miles from Calais.
The baby was found unconscious and later declared dead. Authorities described the boat as “heavily loaded”.
Those rescued were taken back to port at Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Searches were still going on to find any more missing people after the sinking on Thursday evening.