UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday announced plans to introduce legislation for a new sanctions regime aimed at tackling irregular migration and organized immigration crime, positioning Britain as the first country globally to implement such a framework.
In an article for The Guardian, Lammy said the initiative seeks to "prevent, deter, and disrupt irregular migration and the smuggling of migrants into the UK."
The policy forms part of the government's broader "Plan for Change" to secure Britain's borders by targeting human trafficking networks and dismantling the criminal operations profiting from smuggling vulnerable individuals.
Lammy emphasized the growing overlap between foreign and domestic policies, particularly in addressing irregular migration, national security, and economic growth.
"Keeping the British people safe means standing up to the Kremlin," he wrote, linking migration pathways to broader geopolitical threats, including laundered dirty money and international criminal networks.
The Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of "transactional, hard-headed diplomacy" with countries along migration routes to combat people-smuggling effectively.
Lammy pointed to existing UK partnerships in Vietnam and Iraq as examples of addressing the root causes of irregular migration through international collaboration.
- PROGRESSIVE REALISM
Outlining his vision for a revamped foreign policy, Lammy said the Foreign Office would play a more direct role in delivering domestic priorities like border control and economic growth. A new joint irregular migration unit, formed in partnership with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, will lead efforts to restore border control.
"Our foreign policy had to change," Lammy said, introducing the concept of "progressive realism" inspired by post-war Labour Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin.
"Progressive realism means taking the world as it is, not as we wish it to be," he explained, while pursuing long-term strategies on global relationships, particularly with Europe and China.
Lammy highlighted the interconnected nature of domestic and international security threats, including organized crime and migration. He called for a unified approach to address evolving challenges and traditional geopolitical risks.
"There is nothing progressive about leaving the most vulnerable exploited," Lammy said, rejecting criticisms that migration is not a progressive issue.
The new sanctions regime, he argued, underscores the UK's commitment to tackling exploitation and ensuring a secure future for the nation.
