ARE EU JOKING Keir Starmer’s small boats pact with EU would force Britain to take in 100k illegal migrants, ministers warn

SIR Keir Starmer's flagship plan to stop the boats would open the floodgates to 100,000 asylum seekers, ministers warned today.

Government sources and senior Tories slammed Labour's strategy to tackle illegal migration, arguing it would put Euro-chiefs back in charge of Britain's borders.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick slammed the plan as a "recipe for even more illegal migration".

He said: "Not content with voting against every one of our measures to stop the boats, Keir Starmer is now opening the door to taking over 100,000 illegal migrants from the safety of the EU."

Last night Sir Keir pledged to smash the people smuggling trade by teaming up with European crimefighters Europol.

In an exclusive op-ed in The Sun, the Labour leader said he'd order British spooks from GCHQ to work with Europol to monitor gang plans.

The new “Security Agreement with Europe” is the opposition chief’s first major intervention on the illegal migration storm blighting Britain’s coast and hotels.

He told The Sun last night: “We rightly talk about the importance of climate change, terrorism and hostile foreign powers when it comes to our national security.

“But we now need to put dealing with the threat of people smugglers on the same footing.”

However his proposed deal will need the sign off from the EU - opening the door to more testy talks with Brussels.

Ministers today warned any small boats deal with Brussels would leave Britain liable to accepting a share of the EU's illegal migrant burden.

Government sources told The Sun this would equate to 100k asylum seekers every year.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: "Sir Keir wants to now give control of our immigration policy back to the EU, to say that they can decide what our quotas are.

"So whether it's on housebuilding, whether it's on immigration, a classic illustration of the way Keir Starmer just flip-flops on these issues, one week saying what one crowd wants to hear, the other changing the position and trying to appeal to a different audience."

Mr Barclay added: "We're making progress in terms of reducing crossings, there's been a 20% reduction in crossings to the UK, whereas in Europe, there's actually been a 30% increase so he wants to give control of that immigration across to the EU."

Sir Keir will pitch the idea at talks with French president Emanuel Macron in Paris next week.

Labour says it will fund the scheme with the money currently earmarked for the Rwanda deportation plan - that has yet to see a single channel migrant deported to the African state for processing.

Sir Keir told the Sun last night that his record as Britain’s chief prosecutor banging up drug dealers and terrorists means he is perfectly placed to tackle the boat crisis.

A Labour source added: “Keir has been there and done this before, he knows the criminal gang playbook and how to smash their business model .

“As DPP he brought international agencies together to intercept global drug networks, and stop gun smuggling at source.

“He gets that they’re organised, well resourced and ruthless in their tactics. As Prime Minister he’ll be twice as ruthless in breaking them up. UK borders will be secure with him.”