Former Border Force director-general Tony Smith has published a forthright five-point plan aimed at ending what he calls the ‘migrant crisis’ in the English Channel, after provisional Home Office figures showed 41,472 small-boat crossings in 2025—a three-year high. Writing in the Scottish Sun on 4 January, Smith argues that without radical legal and operational changes, smugglers will continue to exploit loopholes and crossings will grow in 2026.
Core proposals include: 1) withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights to enable automatic deportations; 2) reinstating an offshore-processing deal, such as the shelved Rwanda scheme; 3) expanding bilateral ‘removal’ agreements with high-source countries including Vietnam and India; 4) sanctioning states that refuse to accept deportees; and 5) re-investing in UNHCR-led resettlement to provide controlled humanitarian pathways.
Smith’s intervention lands amid intense political debate. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has previously signalled willingness to leave the ECHR, while Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer opposes withdrawal but supports modest asylum reform. Business groups remain wary that a hard-line stance could complicate trade negotiations and damage the UK’s reputation as an open economy.
![Ex-Border Force chief urges five-point crackdown to halt record Channel crossings]()
Amid this fluid environment, immigration stakeholders can benefit from specialist guidance. VisaHQ’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides up-to-date intelligence on visa policies, processing times, and documentation, helping employers and individual travellers stay compliant as rules evolve.
For global-mobility managers, the bigger concern is operational: tougher deportation policies may trigger new legal challenges and heighten scrutiny of employer-sponsored routes if public opinion turns against broader labour migration. While Smith’s blueprint is not government policy, it is likely to influence manifesto drafting ahead of the next general election.
Companies employing foreign nationals should monitor rhetoric around ECHR withdrawal—any exit could have spill-over effects on workers’ rights jurisprudence—and review crisis-communications plans in case of sudden policy shifts that affect assignee confidence.
Core proposals include: 1) withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights to enable automatic deportations; 2) reinstating an offshore-processing deal, such as the shelved Rwanda scheme; 3) expanding bilateral ‘removal’ agreements with high-source countries including Vietnam and India; 4) sanctioning states that refuse to accept deportees; and 5) re-investing in UNHCR-led resettlement to provide controlled humanitarian pathways.
Smith’s intervention lands amid intense political debate. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has previously signalled willingness to leave the ECHR, while Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer opposes withdrawal but supports modest asylum reform. Business groups remain wary that a hard-line stance could complicate trade negotiations and damage the UK’s reputation as an open economy.
Amid this fluid environment, immigration stakeholders can benefit from specialist guidance. VisaHQ’s UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides up-to-date intelligence on visa policies, processing times, and documentation, helping employers and individual travellers stay compliant as rules evolve.
For global-mobility managers, the bigger concern is operational: tougher deportation policies may trigger new legal challenges and heighten scrutiny of employer-sponsored routes if public opinion turns against broader labour migration. While Smith’s blueprint is not government policy, it is likely to influence manifesto drafting ahead of the next general election.
Companies employing foreign nationals should monitor rhetoric around ECHR withdrawal—any exit could have spill-over effects on workers’ rights jurisprudence—and review crisis-communications plans in case of sudden policy shifts that affect assignee confidence.
