Nana Akua fumes at 'utterly ridiculous' figures as small boats crisis hits major milestone

WATCH NOW: Nana Akua fumes at 'utterly ridiculous' figures as 35000 illegal immigrants enter Britain

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GB NEWS

Susanna Siddell

By Susanna Siddell


Published: 08/10/2025

- 16:28

More than 35,000 have made the perilous journey across the Channel in 2025 so far

Nana Akua has hit out after new figures, exclusively revealed by GB News, showed that the small boats crisis has hit another major milestone.

Earlier today, it was revealed that more than 35,000 migrants have now crossed the English Channel illegally this year alone.


"GB News can exclusively reveal that at least 750 migrants made the crossing from France so far on Wednesday," Nana reported.

Reacting to the news, which Mark White exclusively laid bare, the GB News presenter criticised the state of the crisis, adding: "It's just utterly ridiculous."

Nana Akua; Migrants arriving in Dover

GB News can exclusively reveal that at least 750 migrants made the crossing so far today

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GB NEWS/PA

On Wednesday morning, both Border Force and RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) responded after receiving reports of small boats reaching British waters.

A vessel Ranger from Border Force subsequently retrieved those onboard two boats, offloading them by the migrant processing centre. GB News counted 177 people.

As a result, provisional figures from GB News record that the latest small boat arrivals bring the total figure to 35,150 this year, which is just 1,500 migrants away from the figure from the entirety of 2024.

There remains to be several days left of good weather, maritime sources have said, before conditions begin to deteriorate again in the Channel.


Reacting to the major milestone, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood dubbed the illegal crossings as "utterly unacceptable, hitting out at the "vile people-smugglers who are wreaking havoc on our borders".

"Thanks to our deal with France, people crossing in small boats can be detained and the first removals have now begun," she shared.

"Protecting the UK border is my priority as Home Secretary and I will explore all options to restore order to our immigration system."

The latest figures from her department indicate that seven migrants have been returned after making the illegal journey.

Migrant crisis mappedWhere are the migrant boats coming from? | GB NEWS




At the Conservative Party Conference, ex-Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke to GB News, providing insight into ways that Britain could learn from his administration.

"What the next strong British Government needs to do is conduct very vigorous operations onshore and offshore to ensure that the people smuggling gangs are broken up and people who are trying to cross the channel illegally go back to where they came from," he told Martin Daubney.

"You're not going to be put off by, I suppose, diplomatic protests from other countries - frankly, what's happening across the English Channel now and what was happening across the Timor Sea a decade ago in Australia.

"It's a form of peaceful invasion, and no country can accept what amounts to a peaceful invasion," Mr Abbott said.

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