A former police chief who once said he was proud to be woke is in line to lead Labour’s attempts to stop the boats.

Neil Basu, who served as head of Counter Terror Policing for three years and was the most senior non-white officer in the UK, is the frontrunner to become Border Security Commander on a salary of up to £200,000.

But his likely appointment has been questioned by senior Tories who worked with Mr Basu before he retired from Scotland Yard in 2022 after being allegedly blocked from leading the National Crime Agency for calling then-home secretary Suella Braverman’s comments on migrants ‘horrific and inexplicable’.

Last night, one senior Tory told the Mail: ‘They talk tough but you’ve got people who have got no intention of stopping the boats. Is he going to put boots on the ground in France? We know the French won’t allow that.’

James Cleverly, home secretary until last week, also asked why Labour is setting up a new Border Security Command given that a similar unit already exists.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said Labour would target criminal smuggling gangs who are 'making millions out of small boat crossings undermining our border security and putting lives at risk', the BBC reported.

The routes and tactics that people smuggling gangs use would also be looked into to inform Ms Cooper's approach at tackling the issue.

She added how a 'major upgrade in law enforcement' would come with the appointment of a UK Border Security Commander and cross-border police.