The Prime Minister said more could be done to prevent future crossings
The Prime Minister has said Labour’s plan is working (file) (Image: Getty)
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has claimed the current Labour Party plan to stop small boats is working. But the Makerfield MP, who was fast-tracked into office to replace Sir Keir Starmer, has admitted there needs to be more done to drop those numbers further.
Figures for migrant crossings are down 45% from 2025, with some 13,000 making the dangerous journey from France this year. The recent heatwave has seen a spike in crossings, according to The Sun, which cited 900 people making the perilous trip in Burnham’s first week as Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister has since issued a statement on the crossings and on what he believes will be his Government’s next actions.
He said: “The Home Secretary has brought forward a very rigorous plan in relation to this. And let’s remember, the numbers can fluctuate but overall boat crossings are down, down quite significantly year on year. So that does suggest that the plan is working.
“The public wants to see control being exerted, and while we’ve made progress, there is more to do, and I recognise that completely.” Burnham went on to add that he wants migrants to do through “all relevant and necessary checks” while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has struck a new deal with French authorities to halt crossings.
Despite the deal, the Government has faced criticism from Conservative Party MP and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip.
900 migrant crossings have been made under Burnham so far (file) (Image: Getty)
He said: “We’ve seen well over 1,000 illegal immigrants cross in just the last few days. Shabana Mahmood’s deal is not working. I witnessed today the French doing nothing to stop a migrant boat and even helped by handing out lifejackets. The only thing protecting our borders is the weather.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are bearing down on small boat crossings, with removals of small boat migrants at record levels and asylum claims down by 12%.
“The Home Secretary has signed a landmark new deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars. This builds on joint work that has stopped over 46,000 attempted crossings since the election.
“We have removed or deported almost 70,000 people who were here illegally – an increase of 41% – and are going further to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country.”