This damning stat tells us all we need to know about Burnham’s thoughts on small boats_t

It’s the picture that has turned the small boats crisis into one big nightmare for the Government; a record 230 migrants making the perilous journey across the English Channel on a ‘mega-dinghy’ that is 10 feet longer than a red double-decker London bus. And surely even the often conveniently short-sighted, or utterly unobservant French police and border officials HAD to see this one coming. The size of this vessel (surely it cannot truthfully be called a ‘dinghy?’) is further proof of how the vile people traffickers are now operating.

Back in 2018 the average number of migrants packed on to a dinghy was just seven. By 2024 it had grown to 53, while last year it was 61. That number is sure to grow this year as it was only last week that 173 had to be rescued when their craft caught alight trying to make the crossing.

To add further context, as a Boeing 737-800 aircraft has 189 seats, this “dinghy” delivered 41 more people than that jet could have managed and as each arrival is estimated to cost £106,000 in accommodation as well as legal and other costs, the total bill handed to the taxpayer for that one crossing alone is £25million.

Forced onto the defensive, the Government’s two key counter-arguments are that the number of thwarted crossings stands at a record 49,000 and that they are down more than 40% on last year. While both those claims might be true, just because a migrant is stopped once it’s highly unlikely they’re going to head straight back to Addis Ababa or Afghanistan; rather they’ll bide their time and have another go.

But perhaps more troublingly for Andy Burnham is that after the first three weeks of being in office, the true number of arrivals is higher than it was under his predecessor. In Sir Keir Starmer’s time, the figure stood at 2,258, but for Mr. Burnham it is already over 3,000 – and we’ve another hot weekend to potentially lure more across.

As discussed before, ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s juvenile boast he would “Stop the Boats” was subsequently matched by his successor Sir Keir Starmer’s equally puerile mantra to “Smash the Gangs,” and while Mr Burnham has wisely avoided any dopey catchphrases that are as guaranteed to catch him out as surely as Joe Root standing at third slip with a slow-moving ball headed towards him waist-high, he does need to show a clearly thought through policy.

Unfortunately, last week he also appeared to double-down on this muddled approach when he announced he wanted to move migrants to more middle-class areas as “a point of principle” as wealthier parts of the country must “play their part,” – and all this despite acknowledging it will cost more!

What arrant nonsense. This pure, self-serving political dogma that will drive up all our taxes is a prime example of the lack of focus which has been clearly demonstrated with his responses to this crisis. Two weeks ago, he insisted “the plan is working” but on Tuesday of last week he conceded “we will now change our tactics.”

So, which is it Prime Minister? As you certainly can’t have both!

Seriously

When will politicians tire of wearing those damned high-viz vests?

Questions must be answered

The calamitous failures that led to a catalogue of missed opportunities to stop double-killer and rapist Simon Levy leaves many public bodies with serious questions to answer.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rolwey has rightly admitted to failures and the same with British Transport Police. But when you realise Levy had been inexplicably bailed twice before committing one of his murders and was bailed on other occasions including after being arrested in connection with attempted murder, why did it take so long for the Crown Prosecution Service to accept its failings?

Just admit it!

The assault on rural pursuits continues unabated as it is revealed pressure from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds helped fuel a possible crackdown on rural shooting.

Why doesn’t Labour just come out and say they don’t like the countryside, its pursuits and even the people who live there?

Crisis mismanagement

Minutes from that much-vaunted Cobra meeting called to discuss the crisis of tinderbox Britain.

1. Mention yet again the policy of building nine new reservoirs, ignoring the facts this was announced last year and some have yet to gain any planning permission.

2. Ask retailers not to sell those disposable barbecues.

3. Err, that’s it.

This must be a priority

News that nurses are fainting in hospitals where record high temperatures combine with a total lack of air conditioning and, in some cases, permanently sealed windows, is rightly of huge concern. No one should have to work in those sorts of conditions.

But we should also be thinking of the patients, many of whom will be in very poor health and their recovery risks being supremely compromised by such conditions. It is now crystal clear summers such as this one will in future become the norm and it is crucial everything possible is done to accommodate that in the coming years.