In a grand display of international cooperation, Sir Keir Starmer yesterday welcomed leaders and representatives from 40 nations to London, unveiling ambitious plans for a new international arm of the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Prime Minister’s summit, held against a backdrop of mounting pressure to curb the spiralling number of small boat crossings in the Channel, signals a shift towards a more collaborative approach to tackling illegal immigration. Yet, with migrant arrivals surging and domestic discontent simmering, critics argue the Government’s response remains woefully inadequate.
The Home Office’s latest figures paint a stark picture. So far in 2025, 6,642 migrants have reached British shores via small boats—a staggering 43 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
This month alone, more than 4,000 individuals made the perilous journey, a record that has left ministers scrambling to defend their strategy. Speaking on Times Radio yesterday, Dame Angela Eagle, the Home Office Minister, sought to strike an optimistic note, insisting that measures unveiled by Sir Keir would turn the tide. “There has been a 42 per cent increase in arrests,” she declared, “and we’ve returned 19,000 people who have no right to be here—the highest annual total since the last parliament.”
Dame Angela’s assurances, however, were tempered by her admission that the record influx of small boats this year was “disappointing.” She urged patience, arguing that dismantling the sophisticated people-smuggling networks fuelling the crisis would be a protracted battle.
“We’ve been in government for eight months,” she told Sky News. “These gangs have had six years to entrench themselves across the Channel with global reach. It’s going to take time to sort out.” For many, this refusal to commit to a firm timeline smacks of complacency—a charge echoed by Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch, who lambasted the Government’s approach as insufficient.
The statistics are damning. Home Office data for 2024 reveal that immigration inflows, particularly for work, remain “damagingly high,” with any modest reductions credited to policies inherited from the previous Conservative administration rather than Labour’s own initiatives. Mehmet was scathing in his assessment: “The Government must shake off its complacency, tackle legal and illegal inflows, stop importing cheaper workers, and prioritise the future of our own young people. Nothing they have done or said so far will achieve this.”
The urgency of his words is underscored by another troubling trend unveiled this week: the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment, or training has soared to nearly one million—the highest level in 11 years. For critics, this figure is a glaring indictment of Labour’s failure to address the domestic consequences of unchecked migration. While ministers trumpet international summits and prosecutorial task forces, a generation of British youth languishes, sidelined in favour of foreign labour.
Sir Keir’s new international CPS unit aims to strike at the heart of the smuggling gangs, fostering cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies to disrupt their operations. It’s a bold vision, and one that Dame Angela insists will bear fruit.
“Britain will work with other countries to dismantle these criminal networks,” she vowed. Yet the scale of the challenge is immense. These syndicates, enriched by the desperation of migrants willing to risk their lives, have evolved into sophisticated enterprises with tentacles stretching far beyond Europe. The Prime Minister’s summit may win plaudits for its ambition, but without concrete results, it risks being dismissed as diplomatic theatre.
For now, the Government’s rhetoric is heavy on promises but light on specifics. Dame Angela’s reluctance to set a deadline for reducing Channel crossings has only fuelled scepticism. The public, weary of seeing flimsy dinghies wash ashore on the Kent coast, demands action—not excuses.
Meanwhile, the Opposition is quick to point out that the 19,000 returns cited by ministers pale in comparison to the tens of thousands still arriving. The Tories, bruised but vocal, argue that their tougher border policies laid the groundwork for any progress now being claimed by Labour.
As Sir Keir basks in the glow of his international gathering, the small boat crisis remains a festering wound on his premiership. The record numbers crossing the Channel are a daily reminder of a problem that refuses to abate. With youth unemployment soaring and public patience wearing thin, the Prime Minister must deliver more than summits and soundbites. The clock is ticking—and Britain is watching.
