On Saturday, nearly 500 migrants made the perilous journey across the English Channel in small boats, according to the Home Office. The exact number reported was 492 individuals, who made the crossing in nine separate boats. This follows a week of significant activity in the Channel, with hundreds more migrants making similar journeys.
Earlier in the week, 107 migrants arrived on Wednesday, 125 on Monday, and an even larger group of 703 arrived last Sunday. The total number of arrivals over the past seven days reached 1,427, bringing the provisional total for the year to 19,066 migrants. The crossings are often influenced by weather conditions, and the recent period of lighter winds and calmer seas has seen an increase in attempts.
Last Sunday’s figure marked the highest daily total since Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister in early July. His government has acknowledged the likelihood of more crossings over the summer, given the seasonal conditions. The highest number of daily arrivals so far this year was recorded on 18 June, with 882 crossings, followed by 711 on 1 May, both of which occurred under the previous administration.
The issue of immigration has become increasingly important to the British public, now topping the list of concerns according to a recent Ipsos poll. In response, the new Labour government has vowed to tackle the problem by targeting the criminal gangs responsible for organizing these dangerous journeys. They plan to establish a new Border Security Command, which will be equipped with enhanced powers under the Counter Terrorism Act to conduct stop-and-search operations, financial investigations, and issue warrants against organized immigration crime.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also announced an £84 million funding initiative aimed at addressing the root causes of migration from African and Middle Eastern countries. This funding is intended to support health, education, and humanitarian projects in those regions to reduce the need for people to flee their homes.
However, the Labour government’s decision to abandon the previous administration’s Rwanda plan, which aimed to deter illegal Channel crossings by sending asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, has faced significant criticism from the Conservative opposition. The Conservatives argue that this policy was an essential tool in managing migration and preventing dangerous sea journeys. They believe that scrapping the Rwanda plan might lead to an increase in illegal crossings, as potential migrants might perceive the change as a weakening of the UK’s border controls. This criticism reflects broader concerns about how the Labour government plans to address the migration crisis without the deterrent measures previously in place, raising questions about the effectiveness of their new strategies and the potential impact on the overall immigration situation.