Starmer’s small boats file is now formally worse than every other PM | UK | News | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer’s dealing with of the small boats disaster has come beneath fireplace as greater than 65,870 migrants have accomplished the perilous 21-mile journey throughout the Channel in his first 19 months as Prime Minister, studies GB News.

This staggering determine surpasses the 65,815 recorded throughout Boris Johnson’s 39-month tenure, with Starmer reaching the grim milestone in nearly half the time.

A stunning 41,474 migrants crossed the Channel in 2025 alone, with an extra 23,469 arriving on British shores throughout Starmer’s first six months in energy, states the report.

Despite sub-zero temperatures in Calais and Dover earlier this month, provisional figures from GB News present that greater than 800 have already made the journey in 2026, together with 273 on a single day.

Starmer’s every day common greater than double Johnson’s

The milestone second got here shortly after 3.45pm, when Border Force vessel Volunteer arrived in Dover with 65 migrants on board, bringing Starmer’s whole to 65,874. This equates to roughly 117 new arrivals per day, greater than double Johnson’s common of 58.

In comparability, Rishi Sunak’s 50,420 determine throughout 22 months averages out at simply 81 per day.

Former migration tsars condemn Starmer’s failure

Starmer’s grim accolade has sparked widespread condemnation from former Home Office migration tsars. Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick, who resigned as Migration Minister beneath Rishi Sunak, instructed GB News: “Starmer has given the country a masterclass in how not to secure our borders. The damage caused by his failure to Brits across the country is unforgivable.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp added: “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.”

Despite the record-breaking figures, Labour has made tackling the small boats disaster a high precedence since profitable the 2024 General Election. The Home Office has launched expanded powers to disrupt smuggling gangs and seize cell phones from these suspected of crossing the Channel.

A record-breaking 17,400 unlawful employee raids have additionally taken place since Labour got here to energy, leading to greater than 12,300 arrests.

Total arrivals since 2018 equal to inhabitants of York

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood hailed Labour’s “one-in, one-out” take care of France as a key deterrent to curb crossings, with reforms to the asylum system additionally rolled out to dissuade migrants from making the journey.

The whole variety of arrivals for the reason that begin of the Channel crossing disaster in 2018 now stands at nearly 195,000, roughly equal to the inhabitants of York.

A Home Office spokesman stated: “This Government is bearing down on small boat crossings. We have stopped 40,000 crossing attempts since this Government came into office through our joint work with the French. We have detained and removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally.”