Keir Starmer finally has a chair for the government’s Border Security Command. When the Prime Minister first entered government, the Home Office advertised for someone to head the new unit, which ministers hope will be their answer to ‘stopping the boats’. Overnight, Martin Hewitt has been named as the successful applicant. He is a senior police officer who previously served as chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Of all the jobs Starmer has to offer it may prove to be the hardest – and most thankless
During that time Hewitt suggested that politicians ought to refrain from calling police ‘woke’ as ‘it is an easy one-liner that will get you a bit of a headline, and it’s great in social media, but I don’t think it’s particularly helpful’. He also criticised Boris Johnson’s government for complicating already confusing lockdown rules (which he was in charge of policing) during the pandemic with media appearances.
In Hewitt’s new role, he will be tasked with working with police agencies, intelligence chiefs and border force to crack down on people smugglers (or in Starmer’s preferred words ‘smash the gangs’). The initial job advert (which said the salary ranged between £140,000-£200,000) suggested the job could be done remotely from any one of 12 cities including Edinburgh and Belfast.
Hewitt is today heading to Italy where he joins Starmer for the Prime Minister’s visit to Rome to meet his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. There is a desire within government to learn from Italy’s success in reducing the number of migrants arriving in small boats by nearly two thirds in the last year. One area that could be of particular interest is plans by Meloni to open a holding centre in Albania for processing from the autumn. However, this has already been met with howls of outrage on the left, with critics accusing Starmer of seeking advice from hard-right populist sources.
The scale of the challenge ahead means that neither Starmer or Hewitt feel they have the luxury of playing to the gallery on the issue. On Saturday, figures suggested 801 migrants arrived. In government, the issue is viewed by ministers as one of the most difficult to solve, not least because both the Tories and Reform are ready to go on the attack. Tory MPs argue the decision to axe the Rwanda scheme with no replacement has given a green light to more migrants making the journey.
The hope is that Hewitt can use his past experienced breaking up crime gangs and apply it to those people smugglers working in small boats. Of all the jobs Starmer has to offer it may prove to be the hardest – and most thankless.
