#BBCNews Gang leaders, corrupt officials and police officers, fake passport dealers and companies supplying small boats could be among those publicly named in UK sanctions targeting people-smuggling.
The measures are central to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's plan to clamp down on small boat crossings by going after the global criminal networks behind them.
Dozens of individuals and entities are expected to be hit with asset freezes, travel bans, and restrictions from engaging with the UK's financial system under the sanctions.
It comes as the government comes under growing pressure to stem the flow of small boat crossings.
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00:00Now, gang leaders, corrupt police officers and companies selling small boat equipment could be targeted with sanctions to disrupt people smuggling across the English Channel into the UK.
00:09The first sanctions are part of this new regime and due to come into force tomorrow.
00:17The last government pledged to stop the boats.
00:20This one promises to smash the gangs, but the boats keep coming and the government's looking for new ways to crack down on the business of people smuggling.
00:29Tomorrow, the first sanctions will be imposed under new powers, going after those responsible for bringing people on dangerous, illegal journeys to the UK.
00:38The initial wave is expected to include a couple of dozen names.
00:43More than 20,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since the start of this year, a big increase on the same period 12 months ago, though numbers in 2024 were down from two years earlier.
00:54Among the targets of the first new sanctions will be people supplying the small boats, selling fake passports and facilitating payments, as well as gang leaders.
01:04They'll have any assets here frozen, be banned from travelling to the UK, and it'll be illegal for British businesses to deal with them.
01:12But questions have been asked about how easy sanctions will be to enforce and what impact they'll have.
01:18And they won't be a quick fix.
01:19I would say to the government that enforcement has a role to play.
01:24Sanctions, like those being announced today, have a role to play.
01:28But there are no magic bullets.
01:30And actually, there is no simple solution.
01:32This is a complex issue.
01:34And the government needs to recognise that.
01:36It needs to look at what can be done to support people who are fleeing wars to stay in neighbouring countries.
01:42The government says criminal gangs are preying on the hopes of the vulnerable.
01:46It wants to name and shame those making themselves rich in what is a multi-billion pound global trade that shows no sign of stopping.
