Dread of losing voters to Reform UK is driving the government into a familiar political trap

One of Sir Keir Starmer’s first actions on becoming prime minister was to cancel the previous government’s scheme for deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda. It was the right decision for practical and ethical reasons. The Rwanda scheme was an expensive failure that put Britain in breach of international treaty obligations and promised to prolong the trauma of refugees.

Labour’s alternative policy is contained in the border security, asylum and immigration bill that passed its second reading in the Commons this week. The proposed law creates new police powers to disrupt the traffic of small boats smuggling people across the Channel. A new border security command will have powers like those deployed in counter-terrorism operations.