Keir Starmer and several top Labour figures were noticeably absent from a key vote on their flagship immigration plan, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Records show the Prime Minister, along with Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Deputy PM Angela Rayner, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, all skipped the vote on Labour’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. The plan includes counter-terror-style powers aimed at cracking down on people smugglers and stopping small boats crossing the Channel, reported the Express.
In total, 94 Labour MPs didn’t show up to support the bill, a number even higher than in the previous vote. That includes 12 Cabinet members. And it’s sparked a storm of criticism, with opponents accusing Labour of sending mixed messages about their commitment to controlling illegal immigration.
Nigel Farage wasted no time pointing out the irony, telling the Daily Express: “The Prime Minister criticised me at PMQs for not voting for his immigration bill. Well, he didn’t vote for it either, along with most of his own cabinet.”
Reform UK’s Richard Tice piled on too, saying, “It’s blindingly obvious that most of this Cabinet don’t want to control our borders and this just confirms it… Labour can’t even be bothered to turn up.”
Even Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp chipped in, calling Starmer “weak and ineffectual,” and slamming the bill as a “disgraceful surrender of our border sovereignty.”
The bill itself includes some tough new measures. Border Force and the National Crime Agency would be armed with counter-terrorism powers to target smuggling gangs. Anyone involved in violent or reckless behaviour during Channel crossings could face up to five years in prison. Even owning equipment like boats or engines for smuggling would become a criminal offence, mirroring laws from the Terrorism Act 2006.
Another controversial part of the plan includes sending failed asylum seekers to Balkan countries. But there’s a hitch: Albania, a potential host, has already said no.
Still, Starmer insists the plan is a multi-pronged approach, not a one-size-fits-all fix. “No single measure is going to be the silver bullet,” he said. He’s backing a mix of arrests, equipment seizures, and international cooperation — including “return hubs” — to finally get a grip on illegal crossings.
Downing Street was quick to clarify that this is not a reboot of the previous government’s Rwanda plan. Labour is positioning it as a more pragmatic and legal solution.
A Labour spokesperson fired back at Reform, saying Farage was “confused” if he now thinks the bill is worth backing after previously encouraging Reform MPs to vote against it.
They added: “Labour’s Plan for Change has already seen 24,000 people with no right in the UK removed and we’ll go further to smash the gangs and secure Britain’s borders.”
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