Mega dinghies transport 230 migrants in one go. 80,000 arrived under Labour.

To get some understanding of how difficult it is to catch the people smugglers this series of programs explains it all.
I’ve listened to every single one.
I think this is the first episode of the first series. imo these 2 people know more about the difficulties faced than anyone does.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/to-catch-a-scorpion-radio-4-bbc-sounds

I believe they re using drones at sea to identify them now, so that number will increase because there is photographic evidence. There are probably more also caught up in the court hearing delays.

Casdon

Those figures are not correct MartavTaurus, are you referring to pilots of small boats only?
www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nca-people-smuggling-arrests-uk-b2978412.html

Quite possibly, it was on the news last night, so I perhaps misheard.

Though locking up only 10 pilots so far, is still a pretty poor show considering the number of crossings. It's no great deterrent and that's what's needed, deterrents.

MT62

Mainly

Maybe70

Mainly

Those figures are not correct MartavTaurus, are you referring to pilots of small boats only?
www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nca-people-smuggling-arrests-uk-b2978412.html

Someone was holding a baby up by the arm about to board one of these vessels pictured the other day. I worried that the little soul wouldn't have a life jacket small enough. Hopefully he's safe and well where ever he is. It's a rare sight to see women, children and babies alongside all the men.

X post GrannyGravy13. 👍
That is the issue.

Good, if the number is dropping, though we might see an increase now due to these bigger boats and the good weather.

Bad, that only 15 people smugglers have been charged, and only 10 of them have been sent to prison. That suggests the French are being a bit lackadaisical in helping to track them down. The gangs are 20 steps ahead.
Plus bad, allowing Decathlon stores on the northern French coast to sell racks and racks of life jackets, encouraging people to make the crossing.

The thing that is really worrying about these mega dinghies is that they are so unsafe, the one that arrived most recently had women, children and even a baby onboard.

They are a disaster waiting to happen.

Why oh why can’t more of the despicable people traffickers be caught and prosecuted. If those that are desperate to cross the channel can find the traffickers why can’t the relevant authorities?

People throwing questions about boats to Burnham on his trip to Ilkeston today. Is it all some people think about?

Andy Burnham says wealthy areas must house more migrants after leafy village revolts over 1,250 asylum seekers (GB News)

Lovely what a vote winner not how about you just stop the Mega Boats carrying 230 men on, I don't want HMO's full of illegal men from God knows where living next to me or my grand daughters wonder if he'll move some next to his wife and kids some hope.

Telegraph, Mail and Sun Primrose so not all of them.

Someone must have seen all these people getting on this mega dingy, did the French authorities attempt to stop it?
To say we are paying France all this money they aren’t doing a very good job at stopping these boats imo.

We give £660m to the French to stop these boats. What an utter waste of money.

I don't mind families searching for safety and a better life by coming here to live. In the NHS I worked with many who fitted that bill. They learned English, worked, paid their taxes, respected others and were lovely people but they applied through the proper channels. I am not offended to see mosques on our streets, providing they understand we are a Christian country. Acceptance and respect should be a two-way street.

The UK took their eye off the ball a long time ago. Border Force has not been fit for purpose for decades and we are reaping the whirlwind. Hundreds of mostly young men piling into the country with no proper checks on who they are with zero respect for women or if they even have any right to be here. High streets clogged with barbers, vape shops, nail bars and mini marts with a sizeable number of them run by organised crime.

Our Governments have allowed this to happen in plain sight and Britain is suffering because of it.

Billions we have given France, I think I'd ask for a refund, of course they are laughing at us and our stupid government. They couldn't spot a Mega Dinghy with 230 on board haha they can't wait to get rid of them they don't want them either. This will be Burnhams downfall, if Farage and Reform were in power they would soon stop this, problem is Burnham hasn't got the balls he's weak.

Since the Labour government took office in July 2024, approximately 72,000 to 80,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats. The exact number fluctuates by tracking source, with independent trackers recording around 79,900 arrivals and mainstream news outlets placing the figure at just over 72,000. (GOOGLE)

Have 80,000 migrants arrived in the UK since Labour came to power in July 2024?”, the answer depends very much on what is meant by migrants.

* Small-boat arrivals: No — the number is considerably lower than 80,000 since Labour took office. By the end of 2025, there had been roughly 51,000 small-boat arrivals since July 2024, and the 2026 figure so far is lower than the previous year.
* People claiming asylum: Yes, the number is over 80,000 if you count all asylum claimants during Labour’s period in office. In the year ending March 2026, 93,500 people claimed asylum. However, some of those people were already legally in Britain on visas before claiming asylum, so they did not necessarily “arrive” as asylum seekers.
* All immigration: The number is vastly higher. In the year ending June 2025 alone, an estimated 898,000 people migrated into the UK, although that includes students, workers, family members and others—not just asylum seekers or irregular migrants.

So if you’ve seen the claim “80,000 migrants have arrived under Labour”, it is important to ask which category and which dates the figure refers to. It isn’t a figure for 80,000 illegal-boat arrivals.

Figures are from the House of Commons Library

What would you do, OP, if you were Andy Burnham - to ‘sort this out fast’ as you advise.

I have not noticed France laughing in our faces.

Looks like someone has been doing something, don’t you think?

Between 1 January and 8 August 2026, 14,819 people crossed the Channel in small boats.This total represents a 43% decrease compared to the exact same period in 2025.

Why Arrivals Are Decreasing- Drop in EU Crossings: Unauthorised border crossings into the wider European Union dropped 37% in the first half of 2026. Because most small boat migrants transit through Europe, fewer arrivals at EU borders naturally create a lag that reduces the volume attempting Channel crossings.
Origin Country Dynamics: Key changes in origin countries have significantly altered numbers. For example, a 67% decline in Syrian small boat arrivals has been linked to the stabilization and fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
UK-France Returns Scheme: The "one-in, one-out" returns pilot scheme with France lets the UK return small boat arrivals to France in exchange for regularized asylum seekers. This, alongside physically preventing beach departures, aims to disrupt smuggling business models.
Tactical Smuggler Shifts: Increased policing on French beaches has forced smugglers to launch from locations further away, such as Belgium, using significantly larger, overcrowded vessels to maximize capacity.