Home Office launches ‘stop the boats’ ad campaign in Vietnam

The Home Office has launched a social media advert campaign targeting Vietnamese nationals. The government says the adverts will set out the risks of small boat crossings. They follow similar adverts in Albania, which officials claim have contributed to a 90% reduction in arrivals. Labour said the government should end the gimmicks and get a grip.

The number of people from Vietnam making the journey so far this year is up 17%, compared with the same period in 2023. The government says Vietnamese migrants are among the top ten nationalities among those crossing the Channel. The Home Office said the campaign would “set out the risks of being indebted to and exploited by the people-smuggling gangs. Smugglers are using bigger boats and packing more people onto them.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats one of the key priorities of his premiership. The Home Office says stopping the crossings is one of his key priorities for the next election in 2015. The Rwanda bill is currently being debated in Parliament. It is likely to be overturned when it returns to the Commons after the Easter break.

Last year, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper accused the government of ‘tinkering at the edges’ in its immigration policy.