On the new Home Secretary’s first day in the role, she faces hundreds of small boat arrivals across the Channel. After an 11-day stint of no crossings due to the bad weather, dinghies have flocked to Dover this morning, as Border Force declares a “Red” day. Large numbers of illegal crossings are expected on Shabana Mahmood’s first full day after taking over from Yvette Cooper, who is now serving as Foreign Secretary after Sir Keir Starmer’s first major reshuffle.
Weather conditions proved to be perfect for crossings today, as winds eased off and the rain held back. A Border Force boat arrived at Dover this morning at around 7.30am, carrying a group of migrants which they had picked up in the Channel. There were reportedly 138 people on the Defender, according to GB News.
Just an hour later, a second Border Force vessel carried in 85 migrants to the UK, who were then led to the migrant processing centre in the harbour.
Ms Mahmood is now tasked with the sizable job of stopping illegal boat crossings from France to England. Under Ms Cooper, more than 52,000 migrants made the perilous journey in just 14 months.
Some 32,345 asylum seekers are living in hotels, while 66,683 are living in houses, flats and bedsits across the country.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp previously told the Express: “2025 has seen over 28,000 illegal arrivals, making it so far the worst year ever for crossings, and Labour think sending back 100 of them will make a difference. It won’t.
“This proves the ‘one in, one out’ gimmick is failing. Smugglers know the odds, migrants know the odds, if you cross the Channel, you stay. That is why the boats keep coming.”
Earlier this year, the prime minister unveiled a new one in, one out deal where migrants arriving on small boats will be returned to France, in exchange for asylum seekers who have not tried to enter the UK illegally.
Mr Philp continued: “Every single illegal arrival must be deported, nothing less will stop the crossings. Conservatives have a clear plan to do just that through our Deportation Bill. Labour are tinkering while Britain’s borders are being breached.”
A Home Office spokesman told the news channel: “The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.
“That is why this Government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage.
“Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in Northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.”