Sir Keir Starmer’s Government has been condemned as a “complete and utter disaster” after it emerged that fewer than 30 migrants were returned to France under the latest phase of Labour’s ‘one-in, one-out’ agreement.
Speaking on GB News, foreign policy analyst Nile Gardiner hit out at the Prime Minister's "pathetic" attempt to tackle the growing migrant crisis.
GB News revealed that more than 10,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since the deal came into force on August 3.
More than 3,500 migrants crossed the Channel in August, with an additional 5,000 reaching British shores in September.
Nile Gardiner has branded Keir Starmer's Government an 'utter disaster' as 26 migrants are returned to France
|GB NEWS / PA
Discussing the latest deportations to France, Mr Gardiner told GB News: "I think in the UK you've got a clown show of a Government, they're not serious about dealing with illegal migration, but they say they are.
"They are utterly pathetic, full of lies, so are the Conservatives. They sound like the Kremlin with the kind of propaganda they put out there, actually, and I think they really are a complete and utter disaster, the Starmer Government."
He also advocated for Britain to adopt similarly forceful measures to America in blocking small boats crossing from France.
Mr Gardiner stated: "In order to stop these boats coming from France, we need to use military force to stop these boats coming over. This is an invasion."
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Migrant crossings in the first 10 months of 2025 have already exceeded the 12-month figure for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023 | GB NEWSThe analyst highlighted the stark contrast between British and American approaches to immigration enforcement.
He pointed to President Trump's administration deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement to remove hundreds of thousands of individuals without legal status, with military support being utilised in these operations.
Mr Gardiner told GB News: "And it should be noted that the Home Secretary talks a tough game, but you look at the reality, you look at the figures and they are extremely low figures in terms of deportations. This Government is all about rhetoric.
"And if you look at what President Trump is doing in the United States, with Ice, the deportation of several hundred thousand illegals already under this presidency, using the military, of course, to act against illegal migrants, but this is very effective."
Mr Gardiner told GB News that the UK must use military force to block small boat crossings
|GB NEWS
Mr Gardiner concluded: "The majority of ordinary people in America are 100 per cent supportive of deporting illegal migrants, and using force in order to to do that."
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement: "We must put an end to these dangerous crossings which put lives at risk and money in the pockets of criminal gangs.
"The contrast couldn’t be clearer. The last Government’s Rwanda scheme took years and cost hundreds of millions of pounds, and failed to forcefully remove a single person. In a matter of weeks, we’ve returned 26 through our historic agreement with France.
"With flights to France now underway and ramping up, we are sending out a clear message: if you come here illegally, you face being detained and removed, so think twice before making that journey."