Highest number of migrants since Starmer became PM cross Channel in a day

Total of 703 people detected making crossing in 11 boats, according to provisional Home Office figures

Source - Daily Telegraph - 12/08/24

The highest number of migrants since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister crossed the Channel in a single day on Sunday.

A total of 703 people were detected making the crossing in 11 boats, according to provisional figures from the Home Office – the third highest daily number so far this year. 

The number of arrivals in small boats this year now stands at 18,342 – 13 per cent higher than at the same time last year, when it stood at 16,170, but three per cent lower than the total at this stage in 2022, when it was 18,978.

The highest number of migrants to arrive on a single day so far this year was 882 on June 18, while the second highest was 711 on May 1.

There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of last year, down 36 per cent on the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.

Two people died in French waters while trying to cross the Channel on Sunday morning. It is understood the others on board were rescued and taken back to France. French authorities are said to be leading the investigation into the deaths.

It comes after Dame Margaret Hodge accused Labour of being “too frightened” to talk about immigration in the wake of the riots.

The Labour grandee, who stood down as the MP for Barking, east London, at the general election, said it was vital to show that Britain could control its borders and urged the party to to take heed of voters’ frustrations over immigration levels.

During the riots groups attempted to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, with dozens of masked thugs, many carrying England or Union flags, throwing missiles at police.

Last month, Sir Keir warned that there were “no silver bullets” to solve the small boats crisis. 

The Prime Minister said that he had been “left in a really difficult position” by Rishi Sunak, describing his focus on the Rwanda plan over other solutions as “a dereliction of duty”. He killed off the Rwanda plan on the first day of his premiership.

The Government has started work to create a Border Security Command, which would feature hundreds of new specialist investigators and is being funded by £75 million saved from scrapping the Rwanda scheme. Counter-terror powers are also being used in an attempt to smash the people-smuggling gangs.

James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, and a Tory leadership candidate, said the figures showed Labour’s approach to illegal migration “clearly isn’t working”.

“Since Labour have ditched our deterrent, more and more boats are crossing the Channel with more and more people in them,” he said. “They’ve sent the wrong signal, throwing the doors open instead of doing what is necessary to stop the dangerous crossings.”

Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister who is also running to become the Tory leader, said: “Yesterday, 703 people came to the UK illegally. Studies show each costs the taxpayer roughly £400,000 over their lifetime. 

“So the cost of not having a border for one day was £281 million. Starmer’s decision to scrap, rather than strengthen, the Rwanda plan will be a disaster.”

Asked about the small boat figures, a Numebr 10 spokesman said: “We’ve been very clear that we know the summer is a challenging time and we expect to see increases.

“We know that it’s within these months the criminal gangs seek to exploit people, taking ever more dangerous tactics and approaches, and tragically we saw that yesterday with further deaths in the Channel. And therefore it’s vital that we work to smash the gangs responsible for that.

“Tackling the gangs is one of the Government’s first priorities, and we’re working at pace to deliver that objective. We’ve been very open that that involves hard work with law enforcement agencies to bear down with them and work with our allies and that is ongoing.”

The spokesman likened the Government’s approach to illegal migration to the response to the riots, saying a “methodical, evidence-led approach” was the best chance of success.

Asked whether efforts to control migration were “failing” because of Sir Keir cancelling the Rwanda scheme, he said: “We wouldn’t agree with that.”

Number 10 also downplayed suggestions that Sir Keir would make a keynote speech about migration in the coming week. Acknowledging concerns around net migration levels, which Labour has pledged to bring down, the spokesman said “legitimate concerns” about it did not justify the recent far-Right unrest.