Sir Keir Starmer faced fresh humiliation over his small boat crossings failure as it emerged new French tactics may not curb migrant numbers this year. More than 44,000 migrants have reached British shores since he became Prime Minister, including 20,600 so far this calendar year.
But despite French authorities using “tough” new measures to tackle the crisis, Downing Street has said it cannot guarantee the rate of crossings will drop in the coming months. It comes as exclusive new polling for the Daily Express shows that seven in ten voters say that the Labour leader must do “whatever it takes” to stop small boat crossings while two-thirds say the government has lost control of Britain’s borders.
During Sir Keir’s first year as PM there has been an average of 120 migrants reaching UK shores every day.
By comparison the figure was 82 during Rishi Sunak’s premiership and 58 under Boris Johnson.
French police started to puncture Channel migrants’ boats at sea for the first time today.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the move after officers entered the sea on a beach near Boulogne-sur-Mer armed with knives to puncture the dinghies in water that was enough water for the migrants to wade back to shore.
Dozens of migrants, including some women and children, had to give up their attempt to reach the UK as the boat started to deflate and sink.
But Downing Street would not guarantee that the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats would fall by the end of this year.
A Number 10 spokesman said: “We’re clear that number’s too high, they must come down.
“That’s our goal and we are pulling every lever to achieve it.”
French President Emanuel Macron is due in the UK for a state visit next week.
The spokesman said that Sir Keir’s efforts to “reset” relations with Europe have helped bring about a change in French tactics in the Channel.
“No government has been able to get this level of co-operation with the French.
“That is important. We are looking to see France change its maritime tactics, and that is down to the Prime Minister’s efforts to reset our relationships across Europe.”
Polling by Merlin Strategy found 51% of Britons believe this Government will never be able to stop the small boats crisis at all.
Pollster Scarlett Maguire warned: “Voters are sceptical about Labour’s handling of immigration. Not only does Reform have an overwhelming lead on the issue, but even a majority of Labour 2024 voters say that the Government does not control the country’s border.”
“There is little faith that things will improve too, with 51% saying that the government will never be able to stop the boats.”
Ms Cooper said the new French strategy is part of wider plans for its border police and gendarmes to start intervening in shallow waters within 300 metres of the shore to stop migrants’ boats leaving.
It is expected to be unveiled at next week’s Anglo-French summit while President Macron is in the UK.
Sir Keir has repeatedly promised to “smash” migrant gangs during his time in No 10.
But shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the government’s record on illegal migration has been an “abject failure”.
“They’ve completely lost control of our borders, allowing record numbers of illegal immigrants to flood across the English Channel this year.
“They completely failed to smash any gangs and they have no plans whatsoever to remove the illegal immigrants upon arrival.”
He added: “Keir Starmer is a weak Prime Minister and Yvette Cooper is a weak Home Secretary.
“They are betraying Britain by failing to control our borders and by failing to kick out those who should not be here.”
Ms Cooper said she has been in talks with the French for their border sea patrols and officers to intercept people smugglers’ taxi boats not only in the shallow waters as they leave the beaches, but also when they make their way from rivers and inland waterways to pick up the migrants.
“That’s what we need in order to prevent boat crossings. We’ve seen criminal gangs this year really exploiting the fact that the French rules for too long have meant that they could not intervene in French waters,” she said.
There has been growing frustration at apparent foot-dragging by the French, who so far have stopped fewer than 40% of the boats this year, the lowest proportion on record, despite a three-year £480 million Anglo-French deal to combat the crossings.
Until now, the French have refused to intervene in the water because they claim maritime laws prevent them from taking action that could put lives at sea at risk. But French ministers have given the green light to do so while “respecting” the “law of the sea”.
Ms Cooper also said that every migrant who arrived on a small boat where someone had died should face prosecution.