Two people died in French waters on Sunday morning while attempting to cross the English Channel. The others on board were rescued and brought back to France.
The investigation into the deaths is reportedly being led by French authorities.
Dame Margaret Hodge had previously accused the Labour Party of being “too scared” to talk about immigration after the riots.
The Labour grandee, who gave up his seat as MP for Barking at the general election, said it was vital to show that Britain could control its borders and urged Labour to take into account voters’ frustration at levels of immigration.
During the riots, groups attempted to set fire to a hotel for asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. Dozens of masked thugs, many carrying English or Union Jack flags, threw projectiles at police.
Dame Margaret told The Guardian: “We are all to blame for always being too afraid to talk about immigration. As a politician, you have a voice. We need to use that voice to develop a new discourse on immigration – we need to lead, not follow.”
In July, Sir Keir warned that there was “no one-size-fits-all solution” to the small boat crisis.
Speaking at a press conference after a European summit at Blenheim Palace, the Prime Minister said Rishi Sunak had put him “in a really difficult position” and described his focus on the Rwanda plan over other solutions as a “dereliction of duty”.
Sir Keir caused the Rwanda plan to fail on the first day of his term in office.
The government has now begun setting up a border security command, which will have hundreds of new special agents, and is using anti-terrorism powers to break up people-smuggling gangs.
The funding will come from £75 million saved by ending the Rwanda programme.
“Pull yourself together”
James Cleverly, shadow home secretary and candidate for the Conservative leadership, said the figures showed that Labour’s approach to illegal immigration “clearly isn’t working”.
“Since Labour abandoned our deterrence policy, more and more boats with more and more people on board have been crossing the Channel,” he said.
“They sent the wrong message by opening the doors instead of doing what was necessary to stop the dangerous border crossings.
“The government’s phantom border command is clearly not working. They need to get this under control quickly, otherwise the numbers will continue to rise.”
The Home Office said: “We all want an end to dangerous small boat crossings that undermine border security and put lives at risk.”
