Starmer’s Immigration Promises Falter as Channel Crossings Hit All-Time High

The UK has set a new record for migrant arrivals by small boats, with 28,076 people having crossed the English Channel so far this year — a 46% increase over the same period in 2024. The data, released on Monday, exposes the growing ineffectiveness of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s immigration strategy and raises serious questions about his government’s ability to deliver on its promises.
The milestone was passed on Sunday when 212 people arrived in four separate vessels. Despite the scale of the issue, the Home Office declined to comment, continuing a pattern of silence in the face of mounting criticism and a rapidly deteriorating situation.
Immigration has become the dominant political issue in Britain, with public concern steadily rising. Demonstrations continue to take place outside hotels housing asylum seekers, and protests were held across the country over the weekend after a court ordered the removal of migrants from a hotel in Epping, northeast of London. This ruling has become yet another flashpoint in what is now a deeply polarised national debate.
Labour’s pledge to end the use of hotels by 2029 has been widely dismissed as inadequate, given the scale of the current crisis. The government announced new measures on Sunday aimed at speeding up asylum appeals and reducing a backlog of over 100,000 cases, but critics argue the reforms are superficial and long overdue. Even Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged the system is “in complete chaos” — a damning admission from one of the key figures responsible for fixing it.
Recent figures reveal not only a record number of asylum claims, but also a growing dependence on hotels and other temporary accommodations — despite repeated promises to move away from such measures. Labour’s rhetoric around “restoring order” appears increasingly disconnected from the operational failures on the ground.
Seizing the political opportunity, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has outlined an aggressive deportation plan, proposing withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, banning asylum claims, and constructing detention centres to hold up to 24,000 people. While his proposals are extreme, their popularity in polls suggests that a significant portion of the electorate is losing faith in Labour’s ability to manage the situation.
Despite promising a fairer and more efficient immigration system, the current government seems stuck between weak reforms and growing public pressure. With record arrivals, a swelling backlog, and no clear resolution in sight, Starmer’s administration risks being defined by the very issue it claimed it could fix.