A Labour minister was challenged over the party’s “failure” on small boats in a Sky News grilling. Host Wilfred Frost pressed housing minister Matthew Pennycook on Channel crossings being up almost 50% on the same time last year.
The Sky News presenter hit out at Mr Pennycook for blaming the Tories despite being a year into power. He also rejected his claim that Labour would “rapidly bear down” on migrant arrivals. Asked if it was “fair to say the Government has failed”, Mr Pennycook said: “I don’t think that’s the case.”
Mr Pennycook went on: “We always recognise we’ve inherited an immigration and asylum system in complete chaos. We’ve got to restore order, but there was never going to be a quick overnight fix on this.
“We are taking action in a variety of areas. Our borders Bill is going through the Commons, which will give the enforcement agencies counter-terror-style powers. We’re making other changes, in particular this quite bizarre fact that French police, due to current law in France, cannot intervene in shallow waters if a boat is just 10 yards off sea.
“We are negotiating for the first time changes with the French authorities that will allow them to intervene.
“So we are making a series of changes, but recognise it’s an incredibly challenging situation, there’s no quick overnight fix, but we are making progress and we do think we would rapidly bear down.”
The Sky News host interrupted: “You’re not rapidly bearing down. It’s been a year. With due respect, to claim you’re rapidly bearing down and cite once again the inheritance when we’re a full year essentially into your term in office.
“And it’s not like the numbers have persisted, they are 50% worse. Thus far, that’s failure.”
Mr Pennycook replied: “I don’t accept that because there’s no overnight fix to this. We have to put in place the measures that will allow us, and I do believe this will happen in due course, to rapidly bring down numbers. Once that borders Bill becomes law, once we have made those changes, I’ve given you a very specific example there – French law stopping French police enforcement agencies getting into the water to stop these boats coming.
“The inheritance was dire, we never said we were going to fix it overnight, it is a challenging problem to bear down on because these smuggler gangs who are making huge amounts of money out of human misery are deeply entrenched because of the lack of action over recent years.”
The Sky News presenter added: “I think some people would be worried that you don’t see it as failure thus far, given what it might mean for your expectations going forward.”
It comes as 16,545 people have crossed in small boats so far in 2025, a 45% increase on the same period in 2024 and higher than at the same point in 2022, the overall record year for crossings.