More than 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK in small boats on Saturday – just as new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was ordered to ‘go up a gear’ to stop them.
On her first day she was confronted with the second highest number of illegal migrants to enter the country this year in a 24-hour period.
The surge of 1,097 small-boat migrants tipped the total for 2025 to more than 30,000 in record time – and is 37 per cent up on the same date last year. Ms Mahmood said it was ‘utterly unacceptable’, and is expected to order the transfer of migrants from hotels to army barracks. She will also consider changing human rights laws to make it easier to reject and deport asylum claimants.
Ms Mahmood said on Sunday that a deal with France to return illegal migrants would begin soon, adding: ‘These small-boats crossings are utterly unacceptable and the vile people-smugglers behind them are wreaking havoc on our borders.
‘Thanks to our deal with France, people crossing in small boats can now be detained and removed to France, and I expect the first returns to take place imminently.
‘Protecting the UK border is my priority as Home Secretary and I will explore all options to restore order to our immigration system.’
Ministers are close to a one in, one out returns deal with Germany, following the one with France, and have indicated they will consider reforming the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
A Government source said ‘nothing is off the table’.
More than 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK in small boats on Saturday – just as new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was ordered to ‘go up a gear’ to stop them
The surge of 1,097 small-boat migrants tipped the total for 2025 to more than 30,000 in record time – and is 37 per cent up on the same date last year
A Labour insider told The Sunday Times Ms Mahmood was likely to want to overhaul the ECHR, and she would be far more radical than her predecessor, Yvette Cooper, by ‘starting with the unthinkable and working backwards’.
But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Labour has lost control of our borders.
‘This has been the worst year in history for illegal channel crossings and we clearly have a full-blown borders crisis.
‘They tore up the only deterrent this country had, our Rwanda plan, and replaced it with hollow slogans. The thousands of men streaming across the Channel and the fact this year has broken all records for illegal crossings shows Labour is too weak to do what is needed.‘
Sir Keir Starmer will hope his reshuffle, sparked by the resignation of his deputy, Angela Rayner, will give fresh impetus to tackle the problem.
But as of Saturday, 53,342 illegal migrants had arrived on small boats since Labour came to power on July 4 last year. The Home Office said 1,097 arrived in the UK on Saturday on 17 boats – the highest daily total since 1,195 on May 31.
The 30,100 crossings for this year are up 37 per cent on this point in 2024 (22,028) and 2023 (21,918). The milestone was not passed until October 30 last year and wasn’t reached in 2023.
But as of Saturday, 53,342 illegal migrants had arrived on small boats since Labour came to power on July 4 last year
The 30,100 crossings for this year are up 37 per cent on this point in 2024 (22,028)
Reform UK’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, said: ‘Labour have allowed tens of thousands of fighting-age men to enter the country, and that shows no sign of letting up. Labour are focused on tinkering around the edges. Only Reform will leave outdated treaties and foreign courts. We will detain and deport illegal migrants.’
Mr Farage used Reform’s conference last week to pledge to stop the boats within two weeks of passing new legislation if it won power. But on Sunday he merely said Reform would end the crisis ‘as quickly as we possibly can’. He has also vowed to leave the ECHR and deport 600,000 asylum seekers within five years of being voted in.
Kemi Badenoch is expected to vow to quit the ECHR at the Tory conference next month.
On Sunday, Defence Secretary John Healey said the PM would not leave the ECHR. He said Sir Keir had told his new Cabinet to ‘go up a gear’ after a ‘really tough’ first year in power.
