The political right wing is stoking pressure on the UK’s Labour government as more than 25 000 people cross the English Channel into the United Kingdom this year, which is the fastest rate since records began in 2018.
In total, there are 254 arrivals in 2025, according to figures released on Thursday, bringing the total number of arrivals to 436 from 13 small boats on Wednesday alone. It’s a risky journey that has resulted in dozens of fatalities over the years.
The undocumented migration policy of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is likely to face more political scrutiny. Starmer vows to “smash the gangs” responsible for ferrying people across the Channel, while his government has pledged tougher measures against smuggling networks.
Opposition politicians have criticized Labour’s strategy based on the most recent statistics.
“Aproximately 900 people crossed the Channel yesterday, which means that 25, 000 people, mostly young men, have done so this year. The Labour government is not putting an end to the crossings, according to Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who called 2025 the worst year on record so far.
According to him, “[Home Secretary] Yvette Cooper’s so-called deal, which still hasn’t begun, will not even make a dent; it will take 10 years for them to deport the illegal immigrants who have arrived since the start of this year alone.”
Early this month, Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron made the “one in, one out” returns for asylum seekers. According to Starmer, the pilot program stipulates that for every return, a different person would be able to travel to the UK “via a safe route: controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only accessible to those who have not attempted to enter the country illegally.”
Philp also reiterated his party’s call to deport and detain new arrivals right away, warning that a Conservative government might consider withdrawing from the EU, a threat they made frequently in and during the party’s transitional period.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the radical right Reform UK, echoed those criticisms by posting the following on social media: “898 illegals crossed the English Channel yesterday. More hotels, more costs, and more visitors who shouldn’t be here are all due. The general public “had enough”!
In Epping, north of London, a number of violent far-right demonstrations have recently taken place outside a hotel that accepts asylum seekers.
Source: Aljazeera
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