By Gloria Ogbonna
The number of illegal migrants making the dangerous journey across the English Channel in people smuggler–operated small boats has now exceeded 40,000 since the start of the year, marking a major and politically damaging milestone for the Labour government of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The surge represents a significant setback for Starmer’s administration, which came to power last year largely on public frustration with what many voters viewed as the previous Conservative government’s ineffective handling of illegal migration.
Despite promises of a tougher, more coherent strategy, illegal Channel crossings have continued to climb under the new leadership, raising fresh doubts about Labour’s ability to bring the crisis under control.
After nearly a month of reduced arrivals caused by poor weather conditions, crossings resumed over the weekend when 737 migrants reached British shores aboard 11 small boats. According to calculations by PA News, those arrivals pushed the year-to-date total to 40,029.
This marks the first time since 2022 that annual arrivals have surpassed the 40,000 threshold. That year saw a record 45,755 illegal crossings from France.
Although numbers dropped to 29,347 in 2023, the downward trend proved short-lived. Arrivals climbed again last year to 36,816 and have now exceeded those levels, with more than a month still remaining in the year.
Saturday’s crossings alone ended a 28-day stretch in which no migrant vessels had successfully completed the journey, highlighting how quickly numbers can rebound once conditions improve.
The renewed influx comes despite the UK having committed close to £1 billion in payments to France in an effort to curb the flow of migrants leaving its northern coastline.
French authorities, however, have consistently refused to allow law enforcement to push boats back to shore once they enter the water, citing safety concerns.
In a statement, the French Maritime Prefect explained that overcrowded and structurally fragile boats make intervention too dangerous. “Given the structural fragility of systematically overloaded boats, the choice is made not to force migrants to embark on the (French) state’s rescue means, to avoid endangering their lives in the event of a shipwreck,” the prefect said.
Meanwhile, a much-publicized agreement between Prime Minister Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron—described by the government as a landmark breakthrough—has so far delivered minimal results.
The so-called “one in, one out” scheme, agreed in July, allows for the return of illegal migrants to France in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers through legal routes.
To date, the arrangement has resulted in the removal of only a few dozen illegal migrants from Britain, far short of what critics say is needed to make a meaningful impact.
The rising numbers are also likely to intensify scrutiny of Starmer’s central pledge to “smash the gangs” of people smugglers operating on both sides of the Channel. Critics argue that the refusal to implement pushbacks at sea and the abandonment of the previous Conservative plan to send illegal arrivals to asylum detention centres in Rwanda have removed key deterrents, emboldening smuggling networks.
Instead, the Labour government has continued to rely heavily on hotels to accommodate newly arrived migrants and has announced plans to expand the use of military sites to cope with ongoing arrivals.
The policy of government contractors block-booking hotels—often in towns and cities across the country—to house predominantly young male migrants has sparked sustained public backlash.
Protests intensified over the summer after an Ethiopian illegal migrant sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Epping just days after being placed in the Bell Hotel by the government.
Local officials in Epping sought legal action to shut down the hotel, but judges in London ultimately sided with Downing Street. The government argued that concerns over local safety were outweighed by its obligation to provide accommodation to individuals claiming asylum.
Public anger has continued to spill over elsewhere. Over the weekend, fresh protests took place in Crowborough, where the Home Office plans to house around 540 male migrants in a former military training camp.
Residents have demonstrated six times since November, citing fears for the safety of women and girls in the area. Despite these concerns, the government insists that using the site is necessary and claims that such measures will help deter further illegal migration—an assertion many locals strongly dispute.
As crossings continue to rise and community tensions grow, the milestone of 40,000 illegal Channel arrivals underscores the scale of the challenge facing the Starmer government and raises pressing questions about whether its current strategy can deliver the promised control of Britain’s borders.
Source Breitbrat
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