Sir Keir Starmer’s government has claimed the record for the highest number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, new Home Office figures have revealed.
A total of 65,922 people have made dangerous journey since Labour came to power in July 2024, data released on Monday shows.
This is an average of over 794 a week, despite Sir Keir coming in to Downing Street with a plan to “smash the gangs” that traffic people across the Channel.
Some 219 migrants crossed the water from France in three boats on Sunday, bringing the total for 2026 to over 1,000 people.
The previous record was held by former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson who saw 65,811 arrivals during his more than three-year premiership.
The Government said last week that almost 60,000 foreign criminals and illegal migrants have been removed or deported from Britain in the last 19 months.
Since the last general election, some 43,000 people have left voluntarily after being told they were in Britain illegally, while more than 15,000 have been removed - a 45% increase on the 19 months prior, the Home Office said.
But Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has acknowledged that there is no guarantee that the number of small boat crossings will fall by this time next year.
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said as long a the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) “sits at the heart of our asylum system, the crossings will keep coming”.
He added: “Labour have removed five per cent of arrivals and wave the rest into taxpayer funded hotels.
“The result is crossings up 42% since the election. Keir Starmer has thrown open the border and rolled out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants.
“He doesn’t have the backbone to confront the consequences of his own choices.”
It comes as Sir Keir was due to address a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) in a bid to save his premiership.
Backbenchers have expressed fury over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US despite his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Sir Keir’s director of communications, Tim Allan, quit on Monday morning as the Prime Minister appeared to be losing grip on No10.
Mr Allan’s departure comes after the PM’s chief-of-staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned 24 hours earlier over the decision to appoint Lord Mandelson.
In a statement, Mr Allan said: “I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built.
“I wish the PM and his team every success.”
