Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to be "relentless" in tackling small-boat crossings, arguing that increased enforcement and cooperation with France are beginning to produce results.
His intervention came as official figures showed that 2,057 people had arrived in the UK by small boat during his first 12 days in Downing Street.
The wider annual picture is more encouraging for the Government: arrivals in 2026 remain substantially below their level at the same point last year. However, footage published by shadow home secretary Chris Philp has renewed questions about what French officers are being instructed to do when groups attempt to launch boats from beaches.
Burnham promises relentless action
In a video published following a visit to Dover on 2 August, Mr Burnham said the number of crossings had fallen sharply compared with 2025 and that July had recorded the lowest number for six years.
He said the number of National Crime Agency officers working against organised immigration crime on the UK side of the Channel had doubled, while specialist French officers working on the beaches had also increased.
"We're just going to be relentless. People want to see this issue addressed."
The Prime Minister said enforcement needed to be combined with safe routes for people genuinely requiring protection, arguing that this would weaken one of the selling points used by trafficking gangs.
He acknowledged that the public disliked the appearance of an uncontrolled border and said the Government needed to restore confidence by confronting the issue directly.
What do the figures show?
Official provisional figures show that 14,526 people had arrived in the UK by small boat during 2026 by the beginning of August.
That was 43 per cent lower than the 25,436 recorded by the same point in 2025 and 14 per cent below the equivalent figure of 16,903 in 2024.
Mr Burnham described the reduction as 50 per cent in his video. The latest published comparison places it at 43 per cent, although the precise percentage will move as new daily figures are added and provisional totals are revised.
The fall is nevertheless substantial and supports the Prime Minister's central argument that crossings are markedly lower this year. However, Home Office statisticians warn against drawing firm conclusions from short periods because weather, sea conditions and the availability of boats can cause major fluctuations.
More than 2,000 arrivals since Burnham became Prime Minister
The figures covering Mr Burnham's first days in office are less favourable.
Between his appointment on 20 July and 1 August, 2,057 people arrived by small boat. There were 1,962 arrivals during the corresponding period of 2025, meaning the total during Mr Burnham's first 12 days was 95 higher.
That short comparison cannot establish whether a government policy is succeeding or failing. Many of the measures cited by Mr Burnham pre-date his premiership, while daily arrivals depend heavily on conditions in the Channel.
It does, however, demonstrate the scale of the immediate challenge. On 29 July alone, 752 people arrived aboard nine boats, the busiest day of 2026 so far. A further 326 people arrived in four boats on 1 August.
Chris Philp challenges French enforcement
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has challenged the Government's confidence in the French enforcement operation after visiting the French coast.
In footage posted on X on 29 July, Mr Philp spoke to French gendarmes after a group of approximately 100 people had reportedly walked across a beach and boarded a boat bound for the UK.
Mr Philp said an officer told him that police had been instructed not to stop the group physically and could only speak to them and warn them about the danger.
"French gendarmes admit today they have orders not to stop migrants — only talk to them."
The video supports Mr Philp's account of that particular encounter. It does not, by itself, establish that every French unit has been given the same instructions in every circumstance.
French officers have intervened in other incidents, including by using tear gas against groups attempting to launch boats. However, the operation has long been complicated by legal rules, safety considerations and the division of responsibility between shore-based police and maritime authorities once a vessel enters the water.
The UK has pressed France to introduce tactics allowing officers to intervene in shallow water. The Government has also announced a payment-by-results agreement intended to link British funding more closely to enforcement activity.
What does the Government say France has achieved?
The Home Office said UK-French cooperation had prevented more than 46,000 attempted crossings since Labour entered government.
It said 65 per cent of small-boat events were stopped during May and argued that removals of people arriving by small boat were at record levels.
Official figures for the week ending 26 July recorded 881 arrivals and 504 people prevented from crossing during 21 prevention events.
Those figures show that French enforcement is stopping some departures. Mr Philp's footage nevertheless raises a legitimate question about whether the promised approach is being applied consistently along an extensive coastline from which smugglers frequently change their launch points.
How serious is Andy Burnham?
The evidence suggests that Mr Burnham is treating small-boat crossings as a significant political and operational priority. He has travelled to Dover, publicly accepted that border control must be restored and backed additional enforcement resources.
He can also point to a year-on-year reduction of 43 per cent and an increase in National Crime Agency personnel tackling organised immigration crime, reportedly from 376 at the beginning of 2025 to almost 800.
But seriousness will ultimately be judged by sustained results rather than visits, videos or staffing announcements. More than 2,000 arrivals in his first 12 days, together with footage of French officers apparently standing aside during a departure, show why public confidence will not be restored quickly.
The fairest verdict is therefore that measurable progress has been made during 2026, but the system remains capable of producing very large crossing days and apparently inconsistent enforcement on French beaches.
Mr Burnham has promised to be relentless. The test will be whether that promise produces a lasting reduction across different weather conditions, disrupts the smuggling organisations and ensures that agreements funded by British taxpayers are consistently implemented in France.
Sources
- Home Office and Border Force: small-boat arrivals for the latest seven days
- Home Office: weekly arrivals and French prevention figures
- The Guardian: Burnham promises relentless action on small boats
- Chris Philp: footage from the French coast
- The Sun: reporting from French beaches and Home Office response
- Home Office: official statistics on illegal entry routes