More than 2,000 migrants cross English Channel since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister
More than 2,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
The latest figures show 326 migrants arrived on Saturday in four boats, bringing the number up to 2,057 since Burnham took over from Sir Keir Starmer on July 20.
There were 1,962 crossings in the same period last year, with the total for the year so far having dropped significantly compared with this time in 2025.
Burnham has said the government’s plan to curb Channel crossings is working as numbers are down year-on-year, but he has admitteAndy Burnham says more safe routes for asylum seekers are needed as well as tougher enforcement on Britain’s bordersd there is more to do.
Andy Burnham says more safe routes for asylum seekers are needed as well as tougher enforcement on Britain’s borders
He said previously that measures brought in by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have “started to make a difference”.
During a visit on Dover to tout a boost to the number of officers deployed to tackle smuggling gangs, Burnham said he wanted to "grip" the issue of small boat arrivals rather then "play politics" with it.
“The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled," he said. “We need to bring back that control, but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it.
“Slowly but surely we are putting in place those building blocks of a very different approach to this issue. It’s working, but there’s more to be done.”
Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings across the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK.
The provisional total for the year so far is 14,526.
This is 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 14% on the same period in 2024 (16,903).
The Home Office notes that small boat crossings fluctuate because of changes in the weather, with peaks in the warmer summer months.
At the same time, the government has announced more National Crime Agency officers are being deployed to crack down on people smuggling than ever before, in efforts to curb illegal border crossings.
The Home Secretary, who visited the NCA’s headquarters in Stratford on Sunday, announced that there are now nearly 800 officers in post, up from 376 officers at the start of 2025.
These officers, working with international partners, have seized 1109 small boats or engines since the 2024 election.
Last year, the NCA was involved in almost 300 arrests to disrupt gangs bringing migrants to the UK illegally.
Investment for the new officers comes as part of the over £280m funding for the Border Security Command.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood said: “We have more than doubled the number of NCA officers working on immigration crime to tackle the gangs who profit from illegal small boat crossings.
"We have seized over a thousand boats and engines, arrested thousands of criminals, and stopped tens of thousands of attempted crossings.
"There is more to be done, but this Government is restoring control at our border."
Since the 2024 election, nearly 70,000 illegal migrants have been removed from the UK, and joint work with the French has stopped over 46,000 attempted Channel crossings.
World Affairs Correspondent
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