Representatives from the US, China and France are among 40 nations attending a two-day summit in London aimed at tackling illegal migration.
Launching the summit, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “vile trade” of people-smuggling profits from political divisions between affected countries, and warned against pitting “nations against one another”.
The international talks are seen as the first of their kind, with the UK government hopeful they will produce ideas that work.
Immigration is seen as a key issue for the government politically, with both the Conservatives and Reform UK accusing Labour of failing to get a grip on the issue.
Sir Keir is keen for the UK to be seen as leading the global response to irregular migration.
Officials from Vietnam, Albania and Iraq – countries from which many migrants have travelled to the UK – attended the summit at London’s Lancaster House, alongside French, Chinese and US representatives.
Tech giants Meta, X and TikTok also joined, alongside Kurdish leaders and Interpol, to take part in discussions on how to disrupt a criminal trade worth an estimated $10bn (£7.7bn) a year.
Sir Keir told attendees: “There has never been a bigger gathering of people on this issue, building a truly international effort to defeat organised immigration crime.”
More than 6,000 people have crossed the Channel so far in 2025, making it a record start to a year for small boat arrivals.
BBC/Maxwell Oyekunle
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