Standing in Dover, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government will be "relentless" in reducing the number of people arriving in Britain on small boats across the English Channel.
Burnham said enforcement officers tackling people-smuggling gangs have been doubled on both sides of the Channel. The Home Office confirmed that the number of National Crime Agency officers working on smuggling operations has risen to almost 800, up from 376 at the start of 2025. Burnham said French officers have seen a similar increase.
"People want to see this issue addressed," Burnham said in Dover. He added: "We also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes away the selling point of the gangs."
The remarks came after political discussions around illegal migration sharpened following an incident Thursday in which tens of thousands of migrants swam into Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the African coast. Burnham noted that 98% of those people had been returned to Morocco, which he said resolved the immediate situation. He added that broader questions about the Schengen area and Britain's relationship with European Union migration policy required ongoing dialogue with Brussels.
According to BBC News, the Home Office also reported nearly 300 arrests of smuggling gang members last year, along with the seizure of more than 1,100 small boats and engines. Officials said the equipment seized could have helped 72,000 additional people enter the UK illegally if it had been used. The BBC noted it was unable to independently verify that claim.
"Clearly, progress is being made, but we're not complacent," Burnham said.
Reform UK offered a sharply different approach. Shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf said his party would order the Royal Navy to force small boats back to France, calling it "the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two." International maritime law allows states to rescue people in danger at sea but does not permit taking them to another country without that nation's consent.
A Labour spokesperson called Reform's plans a "desperate bid" to distract from scrutiny of their party's finances. The Conservatives, meanwhile, said Labour had not delivered on its migration promises.
Burnham said his goal was to address the issue rather than use it for political gain. "The public don't like the idea that the border looks like it's not controlled," he said. "We need to bring back that control. But also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it."
