Mark White has delivered a blistering verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s record on illegal Channel crossings, saying the Prime Minister is “smashing records”, but not in the way voters were promised.
Speaking on GB News, the Home and Security editor shared the latest GB News exclusive that shows the total number of migrants arriving in small boats under Sir Keir Starmer has now surpassed the figure recorded during Boris Johnson’s time in office despite only being Prime Minister for roughly half as long.
“All he’s smashing is records,” Mark said, as new figures showed arrivals had passed the 65,815 migrants who crossed the Channel during Boris Johnson’s 39 months in Downing Street.
"We can now reveal that Boris Johnson’s total of 65,815 migrants who arrived during his 39 months in office has been surpassed in roughly half that time, just 19 months, under Sir Keir Starmer.
"I was waiting for the final figure to come in, but it has now passed that 65,815 mark.
"A Border Force vessel, Volunteer, has just arrived into Dover Harbour with what appears to be the final group of arrivals today. That takes the total to around 65,900 and counting.
"So it’s quite extraordinary. We are looking at a record being smashed, not just compared with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but also with Rishi Sunak.
Mark White shared his thoughts on the staggering figures
|GB NEWS
"In terms of how that breaks down, it equates to roughly 115 migrants arriving every single day during Sir Keir Starmer’s 19 months in office.
"By comparison, Boris Johnson over 39 months averaged around 58 illegal arrivals per day. Rishi Sunak, who was in office for about 22 months, averaged roughly 81 arrivals per day.
"You can see that, among the Prime Ministers who served for a meaningful length of time and we can’t really include Liz Truss because her time in office was so short when you compare time served with the number of arrivals, Sir Keir Starmer has well and truly outstripped them.
"It’s a record he certainly won’t want to be boasting about.
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Migrants crossing The Channel today
|GB NEWS
"And this is where we are now. Despite some very poor weather in the Channel over the first few weeks of this year which you’d expect in January more than 900 people have already arrived this month.
"Another 100 or so would see this January exceed last January’s total.
"So you can see where this is heading as we look ahead to the year to come.
"Despite what we’ve been told about Sir Keir Starmer’s drive to ‘smash the gangs’, on the ground or at least on the water, it’s simply not working.”
Since winning the 2024 General Election, Labour has insisted that addressing the small boats crisis is a top priority.
Before his decisive victory, Sir Keir criticised the Rwanda deportation scheme as a “gimmick” and pledged to redirect funding into a new Border Security Command.
The Home Office has also been given wider powers to target smuggling networks, including the ability to seize mobile phones from suspected Channel crossers and employ counter-terror measures to disrupt gang activity.
Since Labour took office in July 2024, a record 17,400 illegal worker raids have been carried out, resulting in more than 12,300 arrests.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described Labour’s “one-in, one-out” agreement with France as a central deterrent, alongside asylum system reforms aimed at discouraging migrants from attempting the 21-mile crossing.
Under its deal with France, the UK has so far returned 193 migrants while accepting 195 from across the Channel.
But early signs suggest the pilot scheme is having little impact on crossings, with more than 16,000 people arriving in small boats during its first six months.