Stop the boats pledge in tatters as arrivals would fill Premier League stadium
Rishi Sunak is under fire after the number of people arriving by small boat on his watch passed 40,000.
The PM has pledged to stop the boats, but 401 arrivals on Monday means 40,046 people have reached the UK this way since October 24, 2022. This is more than the capacity at 11 Premier League grounds - and just 127 shy of the number of seats at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.
Since the start of 2024 there have been 2,983 small boat arrivals, up slightly from the 2,953 at this point last year. The figure is a third more than the same period in 2022. The PM is under pressure to finally stop people making the dangerous journey, which is feared to have claimed four lives in the past week.
It means the number of people arriving by small boat during Mr Sunak's time in charge could more than fill the grounds of Luton Town, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brentford, Burnley, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Brighton, Sheffield United and Everton.
In the past week there has been a spike in the number of people crossing the Channel, with 249 last Wednesday, 327 on Sunday and 401 on Monday. The urgent need for the Government to stop people making the perilous journey was highlighted by the tragic death of a seven-year-old girl on Sunday.
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And last Wednesday three people vanished in thick fog and heavy winds after their UK-bound small boat capsized. One was confirmed dead after his body was recovered, while two others are also thought to have drowned at sea.
Labour Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "This is the Prime Minister who promised the British people he would stop the boats, but has now seen more than 40,000 arrivals on his watch. This is the Prime Minister who said his strategy was working, yet is presiding over the busiest start to a year on record in terms of Channel crossings.
"Under Rishi Sunak, independent reports show our border security has become a farce, billions are being spent on asylum hotels, and the Home Office has just lost thousands of asylum-seekers. Everything this Prime Minister touches fails, and our country deserves better than his weak, incompetent leadership."
It comes as Home Secretary James Cleverly - who set himself a target of meeting Mr Sunak's stop the boats pledge by the end of this year - hosted a meeting in Brussels with French officials. They agreed to lead a new customs partnership in a bid to disrupt the supply chain of boats.
Downing Street insisted the Government's efforts to curb Channel crossings were making a difference. No10 claimed the UK's joint work with France is "already delivering", with more than 26,000 crossing attempts prevented in 2023 at an interception rate of 47%.
Asked whether Mr Sunak was sorry for being unable to deliver on his pledge to stop the boats, his spokesman said: "The PM is focused on making further progress to reducing small boat crossings."
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