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

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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.

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.

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