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More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats since Labour took office last July, newly released data from the Home Office shows.<\/p>\n
Figures show 474 migrants arrived yesterday in eight small boats.<\/p>\n
It means 50,271 arrivals have been recorded since the election on 4 July 2024.<\/p>\n
There have been 27,029 arrivals so far this year, which is 47% higher than at this stage in 2024, when the figure stood at 18,342, and 67% higher than at this point in 2023 (16,170).<\/p>\n
Share<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a009.22 EDT<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n More than 50,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel since Labour won the general election last July.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Home Office figures show 474 migrants arrived by small boat on Monday alone, which brings recorded arrivals to 50,271 since the election.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Jacqui Smith<\/strong>, an education minister and former home secretary under Gordon Brown, admitted this morning that reaching the milestone is \u201cunacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Asked if the Conservatives could reduce the number of crossings to zero, Kemi Badenoch<\/strong> replied that \u201cit wouldn\u2019t happen straight away, but it would happen quickly\u201d. A day earlier the Conservative party leader suggested asylum seekers housed in hotels could instead be held in \u201ccamps\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The chancellor, Rachel Reeves<\/strong>, claimed stability has returned to the UK\u2019s economy despite mounting concerns about its ability to respond to shocks amid global uncertainty from Donald Trump\u2019s trade war. Her comments came on the day new figures showed employers have cut annual pay increases and pared back hiring in recent months as the economic slowdown took its toll on the jobs market.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK ministers have appointed insolvency advisers to make contingency plans for the potential collapse of Thames Water.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n David Lammy<\/strong> is facing possible legal action over a plan to invite staff from the oil firm Shell and the defence firm BAE Systems to work inside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Thanks for joining us. We are closing this blog now. You can find all our latest coverage of UK politics here.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.49 EDT<\/p>\n Politicians \u2013 including Keir Starmer \u2013 have been accused of stoking fear and anger with anti-migrant rhetoric which often inaccurately frames all of immigration through the lens of irregular arrivals and is ultimately dehumanising.<\/p>\n The following is from a report by my colleague Diane Taylor:<\/p>\n More than 200 refugee organisations, charities and trade unions have signed an open letter calling on Britain\u2019s political leaders to end \u201cpernicious and insidious currents\u201d of racism and hatred that underpin a slew of anti-migrant protests.<\/em><\/p>\n The letter, coordinated by the campaign coalition Together With Refugees, has been signed by organisations including Amnesty International UK, City of Sanctuary UK, Care for Calais, Doctors of the World, the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Freedom from Torture, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, the Public and Commercial Services Union, Refugee Action and Safe Passage.<\/em><\/p>\n It was drafted in response to weeks of protests outside asylum seeker hotels in locations across the country, often countered by anti-racism activists.<\/em><\/p>\n The protests have come against a backdrop of inflammatory language or misinformation from senior politicians including the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, and the senior Conservative Robert Jenrick. In June, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he regretted a speech warning that Britain could become an \u201cisland of strangers\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>People gather during an anti-immigration protest outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on 09 August 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Ian Forsyth\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n Kemi Badenoch<\/strong> has told reporters that she would reduce the number of people crossing the English Channel to zero, without detailing how.<\/p>\n Speaking on the Isle of Wight, the Conservative party leader said Keir Starmer\u2019s plan to \u201csmash the gangs\u201d behind the Channel crossings was \u201cjust a slogan\u201d that wasn\u2019t working.<\/p>\n Asked directly if she could reduce the number to zero, she said:<\/p>\n I think that we can \u2026 it wouldn\u2019t happen straight away, but it would happen quickly.<\/em><\/p>\n My team are now looking at what we can do in terms of detention centres, but stopping people from coming here in the first place \u2013 if they think they\u2019re going to be sent to Rwanda and not get here, get a free hotel, get benefits, then they won\u2019t come here.<\/em><\/p>\n Asked what the detention centres would entail, Badenoch pointed to the Nightingale hospitals built during the pandemic, before adding:<\/p>\n What we need is the government to actually get the people who are experts to figure out what the solution can look like. It can be done. There\u2019s no point just making excuses.<\/em><\/p>\n Migrants who cross the Channel from France can now be detained and returned under a new \u201cone in, one out deal\u201d, but it is reported that only about 50 migrants will be returned to France each week initially, with numbers expected to increase by the end of the year.<\/p>\n <\/span>Migrant families wade into the sea in an attempt to board a small boat in Gravelines, France, on 12 August 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Dan Kitwood\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.38 EDT<\/p>\n Rishi Sunak<\/strong>, who famously vowed to \u201cstop the boats\u201d while prime minister, took 603 days in office to pass the 50,000 milestone, while it took Boris Johnson 1,066 days during the pandemic, my colleague Rajeev Syal <\/em>notes in this story.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.44 EDT<\/p>\n More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats since Labour took office last July, newly released data from the Home Office shows.<\/p>\n Figures show 474 migrants arrived yesterday in eight small boats.<\/p>\n It means 50,271 arrivals have been recorded since the election on 4 July 2024.<\/p>\n There have been 27,029 arrivals so far this year, which is 47% higher than at this stage in 2024, when the figure stood at 18,342, and 67% higher than at this point in 2023 (16,170).<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.22 EDT<\/p>\n Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said she would be able to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Channel to zero \u201cquickly\u201d, if she was in power.<\/strong><\/p>\n Asked directly, she told reporters in the Isle of Wight: \u201cI think that we can … it wouldn\u2019t happen straight away, but it would happen quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cMy team are now looking at what we can do in terms of detention centres, but stopping people from coming here in the first place – if they think they\u2019re going to be sent to Rwanda and not get here, get a free hotel, get benefits, then they won\u2019t come here.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Northern Ireland is \u201cabsolutely crucial\u201d for the UK\u2019s growth prospects, the chancellor has said during a visit to Belfast.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rachel Reeves made her first trip to the province as chancellor and was asked whether she considers Northern Ireland to be an \u201ceconomic basket case\u201d.<\/p>\n As part of her trip, Reeves visited the filmmaking facilities at Studio Ulster and also paid tribute to Northern Ireland\u2019s defence sector.<\/p>\n Studio Ulster, which sits on the shores of Belfast Lough, was officially opened in June in what have been termed the world\u2019s most advanced virtual production facilities spanning 75,000 square feet.<\/p>\n Speaking at the studios, Reeves said: \u201cNorthern Ireland is absolutely crucial for the United Kingdom, including for our growth prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got here, at Studio Ulster, not just the best facilities in the UK, but the best facilities in the world, for a part of our economy that is globally growing at such a fast rate.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the best place in the world to make those investments, to start a business, to grow a business, whether that\u2019s in video games, or TV, or film.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s really exciting and we benefit hugely from the thriving creative industry sector in Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Sky News is reporting that the GMB union has written to the environment minister, Steve Reed, asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the future of Thames Water, which is on the verge of collapse as it struggles under a \u00a317bn debt pile.<\/p>\n Sky News reports that GMB, which is one of the UK\u2019s biggest trade unions, wants assurances for its members working at Thames Water, including pension guarantees.<\/p>\n Thames Water is the UK\u2019s largest water and waste company. It serves about a quarter of the UK\u2019s population, mostly in London and across parts of southern England, and employs about 8,000 people.<\/p>\n The company is scrambling to stabilise its finances and agree a rescue plan funded by its creditors to avoid the prospect of temporary nationalisation.<\/p>\n It is struggling to fix leaks, stop sewage spills and is in desperate need of investment to upgrade its outdated infrastructure.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.59 EDT<\/p>\n Helena Horton<\/span><\/p>\n Helena Horton is an environment reporter for the Guardian<\/em><\/p>\n UK ministers have appointed insolvency advisers to make contingency plans for the potential collapse of Thames Water.<\/p>\n The company, which supplies 16 million customers, has been racing to pull together a deal to avoid financial collapse.<\/p>\n In a development first reported by Sky News, Steve Reed, the environment secretary, has signed off the appointment of FTI Consulting to advise on plans for Thames Water to be placed into a special administration regime (SAR).<\/p>\n The appointment indicates that FTI is the frontrunner to act as administrator if the government enacted an SAR, although a court would ultimately approve such a step.<\/p>\n <\/span>The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has signed off on the appointment of the consultants.<\/span> Photograph: Jill Mead\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The government has been trying to avoid such an outcome, with the Treasury threatening that a potential \u00a34bn bill from the SAR could be forced on to Reed\u2019s department.<\/p>\n This process would ensure that the taps stayed on for customers but would heap immediate costs on to the government.<\/p>\n You can read the full story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Responding to the latest unemployment figures, Kemi Badenoch<\/strong> accused the government of creating \u201can economic doom-spiral\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters on the Isle of Wight, the Conservative party leader said:<\/p>\n Labour has presided over unemployment rising every single month since they came into office.<\/em><\/p>\n Unemployment is up, growth is down, inflation is up, cost of living is putting a real squeeze on people\u2019s pockets.<\/em><\/p>\n And it\u2019s because of Rachel Reeves\u2019s budget last year. I\u2019m very worried about what\u2019s going to come in the next budget.<\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019re seeing tax rises, even taxes on pensions, as potential solutions. This is an economic doom-spiral that Labour is creating. They do not have a proper economic plan.<\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019re urging them to not look at tax rises, they need to look at getting people back into work, they need to cut welfare. That\u2019s what we need.<\/em><\/p>\n When Labour came into power last July, it inherited years of weak productivity growth, coupled with the effects of a pandemic, a cost of living crisis and the legacy of the severe austerity measures imposed by the coalition government in the 2010s.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.20 EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour took power last year More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats since Labour took office last July, newly released data from the Home Office shows. Figures show 474 migrants arrived yesterday in eight small boats. It means 50,271 arrivals have been<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[4431,7836,5579,419,1121,5781,150,913,124,4785,1347,1259],"class_list":{"0":"post-15326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-channel","9":"tag-figures","10":"tag-grows","11":"tag-happened","12":"tag-labours","13":"tag-migrant","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-pass","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-pressure","18":"tag-starmer","19":"tag-win"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Closing summary<\/h2>\n
\n
Badenoch claims she would cut migrant Channel crossings to zero if she were PM<\/h2>\n
More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour took power last year<\/h2>\n
Thames Water: advisers appointed to plan for company\u2019s potential collapse<\/h2>\n
Badenoch accuses Labour of creating ‘an economic doom-spiral’<\/h2>\n