Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham of denying the scale of the English Channel migrant crisis after nearly 900 arrivals during his first week in office and hundreds more attempted crossings.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage questioned Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s claim that Labour’s plan to stop illegal Channel crossings is succeeding after hundreds of migrants attempted to reach Britain this week and three people reportedly died near Dunkirk.
Approximately 881 migrants were brought ashore at the Port of Dover during Burnham’s first week in office, according to The Sun. That total exceeded the 546 arrivals recorded during the first week of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government in July 2024.
Starmer later presided over more illegal Channel arrivals than any previous British prime minister, while Burnham’s administration has begun at an even faster pace. Burnham nevertheless said Labour’s approach to the crisis is “working.”
Crossings continued Wednesday, when observers estimated that more than 700 migrants entered the Channel aboard boats operated by people-smuggling organizations. Approximately 500 reportedly reached Britain.
Three people were reported dead Thursday morning after attempting to cross near the French port of Dunkirk. Smuggling networks have repeatedly launched migrants in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats, creating dangerous conditions on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
Responding to the new arrivals and Burnham’s assessment, Farage criticized the prime minister on X.
“The invasion continues. Yet Burnham said yesterday, ‘The plan is working’. What planet is he on?” Farage wrote.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman also rejected Burnham’s claim while acknowledging the Conservative government’s failure to stop the crossings.
“The Conservative government failed to do anything, they failed to heed my warnings on what needed to be done…and the numbers have been rising ever since,” Braverman said. “I am not persuaded by Andy Burnham’s pledge to fix the problem.”
More than 13,000 migrants have arrived by small boat since the start of the year. Crossings are approximately 45% lower than last year and about 16% below the same period in 2024, although reports indicate that criminal smuggling organizations have recently changed their launch methods.
A maritime source told GB News that traffickers are moving operations farther along the French coast after increased police patrols disrupted traditional departure points near Calais and Dunkirk.
“What we’re seeing here is a full-frontal assault by the criminal gangs,” the source said.
“For weeks, they’ve been frustrated by increased police patrols, hampering their ability to launch boats from their regular push-off points around Calais and Dunkirk. That’s forced a switch in tactics, with most launches happening up to a hundred miles south of Dunkirk, around the Dieppe area.”
The British government has paid France hundreds of millions of pounds to support efforts against people-smuggling operations. Conservative Member of Parliament Chris Philp nevertheless filmed French gendarmes appearing to remain inactive as migrants prepared to enter the water.
When Philp asked why officers were not stopping the departures, one gendarme was heard saying that their “orders were to let them go.”
The incident came one day after the French Navy was accused of firing warning shots at Philp’s boat while he attempted to document Channel activity.
Philp, the shadow justice minister, accused Burnham of having “learned nothing from the failure of Keir Starmer” and argued that Labour would not take the measures required to reduce migration.
“Mass immigration has failed – communities have failed to integrate, British workers have been undercut, and our generosity has been abused,” Philp said Tuesday.
“We should only let in a small number of highly skilled migrants. Clearly, it doesn’t matter who is in charge, Labour will never take the necessary action that is needed to tackle immigration.”
Reform UK Chairman Zia Yusuf argued that the Conservatives also lack credibility on the issue because Philp previously served as minister for immigration compliance and justice under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose government oversaw record immigration levels.
“The Tories created the crisis. OVER 127,000 invaders crossed the channel under Tory governments. They promised to stop the boats, and supercharged them instead. Do not let them fool you into letting them doing it again,” Yusuf said.
The renewed political dispute leaves Burnham facing pressure from both Reform UK and the Conservatives as smuggling networks adapt their operations, French enforcement remains under scrutiny and migrants continue risking the Channel crossing.
Original article
Comments