Starmer on brink of unwanted small boats milestone

The number of people who have crossed the Channel on small boats under the Labour government is on the brink of passing 50,000.

Home Office figures show that up to and including Sunday, a total of 49,797 people had arrived since 5 July 2024. Politics Hub: Follow latest updates Sky News witnessed more migrants being brought ashore at Dover on Monday on a day of exceptional weather, and the Conservatives claim the 50,000 threshold has been hit.

Official statistics could confirm the milestone later today. It would mean Sir Keir Starmer - who won power promising to "smash the gangs" behind the crossings - has seen 50,000 crossings on his watch in 401 days.

Sky News chief political correspondent Jon Craig said that's "much faster" than under Rishi Sunak, who was in office for 603 days when he hit the unwanted tally. It took some 1,066 days under Boris Johnson, though it's worth remembering his tenure covered the pandemic.

Nearly 20,000 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year, a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024 and a new record for the first half of a year. The government is hoping a new "one in one out deal" with France that came into force last week will deter crossings, with some migrants now facing the prospect of being detained and returned.

Read more from Sky News:Warning over water shortfallTrump gaffe speaks volumesLords under fire over rule change Badenoch: People don't feel safe The numbers have further fuelled public anger over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, with protests taking place across the country this summer. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has suggested "camps" be set up instead, saying women and children in her Essex constituency and elsewhere "don't feel safe".

Her party are also proposing automatic deportation for any illegal migrants, and have regularly criticised the government for scrapping the Rwanda scheme. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said "Labour tore up our deterrents before they were even in place".

A Number 10 spokesperson said crossings "reached all-time highs" under the previous Tory government. "The gangs had six years to set routes," they added, and Labour are determined to tackle the crisis by "hunting down gangs" and "fixing the foundations of a broken asylum system"..