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The government does not currently have control of Britain’s borders, the home secretary will admit today.
Shabana Mahmood is hosting counterparts from the Western Balkans and other European allies in London, and will demand greater international co-operation to tackle small boat crossings.
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The summit is designed to ensure nations on the continent strike new deals to tackle illegal migration, following Britain’s “one in, one out” agreement with France signed earlier this year.
Calling for a “joined-up” response to the challenge, Ms Mahmood will say “coming together as we are today […] will make all of our borders and our countries stronger”.
In the meantime, however, the government has failed “to bring order to our borders”.
“The citizens of each of our countries have a very simple expectation of us,” Ms Mahmood will say.
“The public rightly expect their government will be able to determine who enters their country, and who must leave.
“Today, in this country, and I know in many if not all of yours, that is not the case.
“And the failure to bring order to our borders is eroding trust not just in us as political leaders, but in the credibility of the state itself.”
The Western Balkans is a major transit route for people smuggling across borders, the Home Office says, with some 22,000 people transported last year.
Many of the asylum seekers who cross the Channel had ended up in France via several other European countries, journeying across the continent after leaving their homes in parts of Africa and the Middle…
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