As many as 100 Channel migrants arrive today on vessels branded ‘Burnham’s boats’, piling pressure on new PM to set out immigration plans
These migrants, who boarded a boat off the coast of northern France, were thought to be among the dozens arriving today on ships branded ‘Burnham’s boats’.
Sources said up to 100 migrants successfully crossed the Channel on the busy crossing day, which saw the first arrivals under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
That has put pressure on Mr Burnham to break his silence on immigration plans, having gone three days without addressing the issue, despite it being among voters’ top concerns in a series of polls.
He announced his pledge to eliminate rough sleeping, reduce unfunded VAT on home energy bills and eliminate the £2 price cap on bus fares.
But the public remains in the dark about what he plans to do about immigration, including small boat crossings.
The arrivals come after figures showed fewer than ten deportations (7%) last year were of small boat migrants.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: ‘With Open Borders Burnham now in office, there’s never been a better time to be an illegal immigrant.’
Off the coast of Equihen-Plage, France, migrants were seen boarding a boat after dozens of people crowded a nearby beach.
Some migrants remained behind after the boat departed and appeared to be helped back to shore by French authorities.
Off the coast of Equihen-Plage, France, migrants were seen boarding a boat after dozens of people crowded a nearby beach.
The party’s Home Affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, added: ‘Like the Conservatives, Labor continues to leave our borders open with Burnham’s boats, welcoming hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from Britain-hating countries.
‘They deport almost none of them, instead allowing them to live a life of idleness at the expense of British taxpayers. The reform will detain and deport all illegal immigrants in Britain.’
The migrants in the photo were seen racing to board the big ship this morning at Equihen-Plage, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, south of Calais.
In the footage, it can be seen that the boat left the shore and some immigrants waved to those left in the water.
After the crowd, mostly men, landed on the beach, French officials were seen distributing life jackets and trying to save those in the sea.
Some 77,183 migrants have crossed the Channel and reached the UK since Labour’s election victory in July 2024.
More than 200,000 people have come since registration began in 2018.
Although the number of arrivals so far this year (more than 12,000) has decreased by 47% compared to last year, experts believe that crossings may begin again.
No crossings have been recorded since July 10.
Former Border Force chief Tony Smith said this could be partly explained by windy conditions that made Channel waters choppy.
But he also said there were signs that larger efforts by British and French police to crack down on smuggling rings could bear fruit.
He said: ‘Weather may partly explain the falling figures. But you can’t argue with the numbers.
‘There are other factors too. I think there have been more seizures of boats and engines in Europe due to some of the work that the Border Security Command agency has been doing, the disruptions upstream.
‘I think it’s having an impact and it’s harder to get that many boats into northern France than it was before.’
It comes as 50 boats and motorboats intended for Channel people smuggling gangs were seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at Suffolk’s Port of Felixstowe.
At least 25 ten-meter-long rubber boats and 25 Parsun outboard motors, each capable of carrying at least 80 people, were found by officers in a container sent from China on Saturday.
It is said to be the first time such a bulk shipment has been seized in the UK and may have disrupted the crossing attempts of an estimated 2,000 migrants.
Investigators believe the cargo will be delivered at the next stop in Hamburg, Germany – a ‘recognized staging point’ for boats and equipment used by Channel people smugglers in northern France and Belgium, the NCA said.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘This Government is cracking down on small boat crossings, with small boat migrants being removed at record levels and asylum claims falling by 12%.
‘The Home Secretary has signed a landmark new pay-per-sequence deal with France to step up enforcement on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars.
‘This builds on joint work that has stopped more than 45,000 attempted crossings since the election.
‘We have removed or deported nearly 70,000 people who were here illegally – an increase of 41% – and we are going further to eliminate the incentives that attract illegal immigrants to this country.’
