Small boat crossings under Labour have surged past 50,000 migrants in just 402 days, with one arrival every 11 minutes, as another tragedy claimed the life of a young woman attempting the perilous Channel crossing this morning.
Yesterday, 474 people illegally entered the UK in eight small boats, taking the total number of migrants to have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power to 50,271 people. The grim milestone was reached after dramatic scenes at Gravelines in northern France showed dozens of migrants rushing into the sea towards an overloaded dinghy in the early hours.
The attempted crossing ended in tragedy when a young woman, believed to be Somalian and aged between 25 and 30, fell from a boat and drowned, according to French media reports. She becomes the 19th migrant to die in the Channel this year, underscoring the deadly risks of the crossing despite government efforts to “smash the gangs.
Faster Rate Than Conservatives
The 50,000 figure has been reached significantly faster under Sir Keir Starmer than his predecessor, with the milestone passed after just 402 days compared to 603 days under Rishi Sunak. The daily arrival rate under Labour currently stands at 120 migrants per day, well above the 82 daily arrivals during Sunak’s tenure and more than double Boris Johnson’s rate of 58 per day.
GB News analysis reveals that the number of Channel crossings in Sir Keir’s first year in office is 40 per cent higher than those made during Rishi Sunak’s final 365 days in Downing Street. More than 44,000 migrants had reached British shores via small boats by early July, with the figure now exceeding 50,000.
Labour education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern called the figures “unacceptable” but immediately blamed the previous Conservative government. “It is an unacceptable number of people. It sort of demonstrates the way over the last six or seven years that the criminal gangs have got an absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people across the Channel,” she told BBC Breakfast.
Rwanda Scheme Scrapped
The Prime Minister scrapped his predecessor’s Rwanda deportation scheme as one of his first acts in office, claiming it was an expensive “gimmick” that would never work. The controversial policy, which would have sent asylum seekers to the central African nation for processing, was cancelled after costing taxpayers £700 million without a single forced deportation taking place.
Labour has instead focused on its “smash the gangs” strategy, setting up a new Border Security Command and seeking closer cooperation with European allies. However, critics argue the approach lacks any effective deterrent for migrants themselves.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp warned that the crisis is now “out of control”, telling GB News: “The Labour Government’s claim to smash the gangs is in tatters. The boats are flooding over in record numbers and 2025 so far has been the worst in history.
Morning Tragedy at Gravelines
This morning’s drowning occurred as migrants attempted to board vessels at Gravelines, located between Dunkirk and Calais on France’s northern coast. Extraordinary photographs showed dozens of people in life jackets rushing through the waves towards already overcrowded dinghies as smugglers prepared to launch multiple crossings.
Migrants were later seen being brought ashore at Dover after successfully completing the dangerous journey. The crossings continued despite the morning’s fatality, with French authorities confirming multiple boats had departed from various launch points along the coast.
The young Somalian woman’s death brings the 2025 death toll to at least 19, making it one of the deadliest years since the crisis began. French authorities report that boats are increasingly overloaded, with an average of 53 passengers per vessel – nearly double the figure from two years ago.
Political Fallout Intensifies
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch launched a scathing attack on Labour’s approach during a visit to Epping, which has seen protests over asylum seeker hotels. Not everyone here is a genuine asylum seeker. People are arriving in our country illegally,” she said. “That is why we have a plan to make sure that people who arrive here illegally are deported immediately.”
Mrs Badenoch warned that some communities “don’t feel safe” and suggested asylum seekers could be housed in camps rather than hotels. “What a lot of the parents – the mothers and even some of the children – have said to me is that they don’t feel safe. It is unfair to impose this burden on communities,” she stated.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson was even more direct in his criticism: “Starmer is no friend of the British people and allowing thousands of potential criminals into our country is his way of sticking two fingers up to the hardworking Brits who have to pay for these economic spongers crossing the Channel.
Failed France Deal
Labour’s much-vaunted “one in, one out” deal with France became operational last Wednesday but has failed to slow the record arrivals. The pilot scheme will see the UK return some migrants to France in exchange for receiving asylum seekers with legitimate family connections, though initial numbers are expected to be minimal.
Yesterday’s figure of 474 arrivals marked the highest single-day total for August, despite government claims that enhanced cooperation with French authorities would reduce crossings. The Home Office has committed £5 million from a wider £100 million border security fund to increase enforcement operations.
Lady Smith defended the government’s approach on Sky News, placing responsibility squarely on the Conservatives: “I think it’s tough because the last government enabled this hideous criminal activity to really get its roots into across Europe.
Record-Breaking Year
With 26,986 migrants crossing so far this year according to provisional figures, 2025 is on track to become the worst year on record for Channel crossings. The total number of migrants who have crossed since the crisis began in 2018 now exceeds 170,000 – roughly equivalent to the population of Oxford.
Rob Bates from the Centre of Migration Control warned GB News that current numbers could “double” by year’s end, predicting 50,000 crossings in 2025 alone. We’re about 40 per cent up when it comes to Channel crossings on last year, and we are probably going to see 50,000 people come across the English Channel,” he said.
The government has announced plans for new legislation, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pushing the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill through Parliament. The bill promises counter-terror style powers for police and new criminal offences targeting people-smuggling gangs.
Expert Warnings
Major General Duncan Capps, head of the small boats operational command, has admitted it is “unrealistic” to expect all crossings to stop. He told The Times that whilst numbers could be “significantly reduced”, achieving zero crossings would be “very difficult” as British officers cannot control the French coastline.
Dr Mihnea Cuibus from the Migration Observatory at Oxford University noted that smuggling gangs have become “increasingly professionalised and efficient”, using progressively larger boats to maximise profits. If current trends continue, it’s likely that we will see a record number of arrivals during 2025,” he warned.
A Home Office spokesperson defended the government’s approach: “Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in Northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs.
As another life is lost in the Channel and the 50,000 milestone passes, pressure continues to mount on Sir Keir Starmer to deliver on his promise to tackle the crisis that has become a defining political challenge for successive governments.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Keir Starmer meeting President Zelenskyy at NATO Summit, Washington D.C. (10 July 2024) – by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, licensed under OGL v3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
