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New official figures demonstrate that more than 20,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Labour has taken office, with a large increase in crossings occurring in October compared to last year since the July election. The numbers this year are still under records set in 2022, however, they are still higher than last year, emphasizing the magnitude of Sir Keir Starmer’s government’s political challenge. Privately, ministers confess that successfully addressing irregular, illegal migration is crucial to the public’s opinion of the government.
Latest figures confirm that on Sunday, 122 people travelled in two small boats, resulting in a total of 20,110 since 5 July when Sir Keir became Prime Minister following Labour’s election win. This indicates a rise from the 17,020 who crossed between the same dates last year. Home Office sources attribute the increase to the number of days in October of this year, which exceed last year’s and the calmer seas than last year.
The number of migrants crossing in the first five months of Labour’s time in office is comparable to the 20,839 who crossed between July and November 2021, while the total is still lower than the 31,264 who crossed in the corresponding timeframe in 2022, the year with the highest number of overall crossings.
In an attempt to curb the crossings, Labour cancelled the previous government’s proposal to deport certain asylum seekers to Rwanda. The government wants to reduce crossings by clamping down on the criminal network responsible for smuggling people into the UK. It intends to strengthen the police’s authority to tackle criminal organizations and collaborate with enforcement authorities in different nations to do so. Ministers also want to allow the police to use the Blair-era counter-terrorism legislation to search people suspected of being involved in human trafficking. Before the election, Labour also proposed giving the police additional powers to restrict smugglers’ access to the internet and travel while also “live monitoring” smugglers’ financial accounts.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the government’s strategy as “weak and empty,” suggesting that ministers “urgently reintroduce” the Rwanda policy. Philp stated, “These statistics demonstrate that under Keir Starmer, the gangs are flourishing.
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