Sir Keir Starmer has said people smuggling is no longer a challenge but “a crisis”, as he opened a European summit at which he hopes to strike a deal on migration.
The prime minister is using the European Political Community (EPC) gathering to push for closer security ties and joint action to tackle small boat crossings.
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Hosting the event at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Sir Keir said “challenge is the wrong word” to describe the “vile trade of people smuggling”.
“It is now, I think, a crisis,” he told his international counterparts.
“As we speak, as we gather here, a criminal empire is at work in every country represented here today, profiting off human misery and desperation, prepared to send infants, babies, pregnant mothers, innocent people to their deaths.”
Referring to recent small boat tragedies, Sir Keir added: “Last week, four more souls and actually last night, another one were lost in the waters of the English Channel, a chilling reminder of the human cost of this vile trade.”
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He said the summit was an opportunity to “set a new path on illegal migration” with increased co-operation, “to say together ‘no more'”.
“We must combine our resources, share intelligence, share tactics, shut down the smuggling routes, and smash the gangs.”
Sir Keir is under pressure to get a grip on Channel crossings, having pledged in his manifesto to set up a new Border Force Command to tackle the people smuggling trade, using money diverted from the now-scrapped Rwanda scheme.
The summit comes as the new Labour government also attempts to forge closer links with the European Union (EU) after the turmoil of the Brexit years.
Sir Keir wants to ultimately strike a security pact with the EU and also address some of the trading problems under the current Brexit deal, struck by former prime minister Boris Johnson.
Although no formal statement is expected at the end of the summit, several one-on-one meetings are planned.
Sources suggested an announcement on migration could be made after a bilateral with French President Emmanuel Macron this evening, as cooperation with French authorities regarding Channel crossings is set to feature in the talks.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Sir Keir was not expected to raise a returns deal today and he “wants to work on border security”.
In his bid to reset relations, Sir Keir personally greeted some 45 leaders as they arrived at the 18th century palace.
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All European countries – barring Russia and Belarus – are invited to the summit, intended to galvanise support for Ukraine, where fighting is expected to intensify over the summer.
In his opening remarks, Sir Keir stressed his government’s support for the European Convention on Human Rights after the Conservatives had flirted with the idea of pulling out of the agreement.
He told Europe’s leaders the UK would be a “friend and a partner ready to work with you” and “not part of the European Union, but very much part of Europe”.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the block welcomed “the new tone of the British government” and “we are ready to reinforce our foreign and security policy co-operation”.
The gathering at Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill, is a more informal affair than many international summits.
The leaders will attend a reception hosted by the King in the palace’s Long Library, which has walls lined by more than 10,000 books,
Sir Keir will have a series of face-to-face talks with key figures, including a dinner with Mr Macron and a meeting with Polish counterpart Donald Tusk – who was president of the European Council at the height of the Brexit drama – as he attempts to strengthen ties with the continent.
The EPC was the brainchild of Mr Macron and involves 20 non-EU nations including the UK as well as the 27-strong EU bloc.
It was set up in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
