Sir Keir Starmer, according to Nigel Farage, has made a “very, very big mistake” with his new ideas to address the small boat situation.
Labour leader promised to prosecute people smugglers like terrorists and hinted at an EU returns agreement that may include taking quotas of migrants from the union.
Sir Keir’s suggestions, though, “won’t work,” according to Mr Farage, who travelled to The Hague for meetings with the EU’s Europol law enforcement agency.
He also cautioned that the strategy will push the UK closer to Brussels.
The GB News presenter said: “Today we’ve learned what the Labour solution to the Channel crisis, or perhaps some would even say Channel emergency, is.
“Sir Keir Starmer has revealed all. He is going to smash the gangs, he’s going to treat the gangs as if they were terrorists, and we’re going to take a lead in Europe. I have heard that once or twice before in my career.
“So what’s the plan? Well, the plan is that we are going to rejoin Europol, not Interpol, where nation state police forces cooperate together, no Europol which is the EU’s own police force.
“But here’s the bit I can’t believe, even as members of the EU we did not join the EU’s refugee and asylum policy, we stayed out of it.
“But Starmer says that we will rejoin it, we’ll do a deal with Brussels, he’ll be off to see President Macron next week, the French will be nice and stop the boats coming.”
His comments prompted laughter from audience members of the live show in Witham, Essex.
Mr Farage went on: “And in return we will then take our share of the number of people crossing the Mediterranean.
“Given that 8,000 people have arrived in Lampedusa alone, the Italian island, in the last three days, it seems to me we would actually be taking more people illegally coming from other parts of the world than we currently are.
“And I don’t believe for one moment it would even stop the boats. It’s a policy that won’t work and it’s a policy that takes us back much closer to be members of the EU.
“And I think Starmer’s Labour Party, frankly, have made a very, very big mistake today.”
The measures, according to Rishi Sunak, could result in 100,000 EU migrants arriving in the UK each year, while Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the Labour leader would allow the UK to become a “dumping ground” for Europe’s migrants.