Andy Burnham's record at stopping the boats worse than Sir Keir Starmer's, figures show, with larger proportion of Channel migrants successfully reaching Britain

Andy Burnham ’s record at stopping the boats is worse than Sir Keir Starmer ’s, figures show. Analysis of Channel crossings data found a larger proportion of migrants are successfully reaching Britain under Mr Burnham’s administration, raising fresh questions about whether the crisis is a priority for him. It comes after a staggering 1,739 migrants – or one every six minutes on average – reached the UK during the first week of October. The Mail analysis of Home Office data found that during Mr Burnham’s first ten weeks in Downing Street, 6,666 migrants successfully crossed the Channel in small boats. This was two-thirds (66 per cent) of the total 10,048 who attempted the perilous journey during that period, meaning only a third (3,382) were intercepted by the French authorities. But during ex-PM Sir Keir’s first ten weeks in office in 2024, barely half were successfully reaching Britain. Of the 17,966 migrants who attempted to cross during the period, 9,959 (55 per cent) successfully reached Britain. Just over 8,000 (45 per cent) were blocked, 12 per cent more than under Mr Burnham. Since January 1, some 20,935 migrants have reached the UK by crossing the Channel illegally on small boats Andy Burnham failed to mention the issue of small boats in his maiden speech as PM on the steps of Downing Street in July and during his hour-long address at last week’s Labour party conference Smugglers, in a bid to avoid detection and interception by the French authorities, appear to have shifted their tactics by launching so-called ‘mega-dinghies’ Critics said the analysis was yet more proof that Mr Burnham isn’t taking the Channel crossings crisis seriously. The former Manchester mayor failed to mention the issue in his maiden speech as PM on the steps of Downing Street in July and during his hour-long address at last week’s Labour party conference, raising suspicions it’s not a priority for him. Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: ‘It did not matter who Labour replaced Keir Starmer with – Labour are the problem. ‘Andy Burnham has learnt nothing from his predecessor, and the illegal Channel crossings keep coming. ‘Scrapping the Rwanda deterrent was a disaster, and Labour will never take the action needed to end illegal immigration. Until every illegal immigrant is removed on arrival, the crossings will not stop. ‘The next Conservative Government would leave the ECHR and deport illegal immigrants. Labour simply do not have the backbone to do it.’ Tony Smith, a former UK Border Force chief, said: ‘Burnham hasn’t been as vociferous as Starmer was about this. It was one of Starmer’s top priorities. ‘But I think Burnham has probably under-estimated the strength of feeling in the country about the boats. ‘He hasn’t said a lot. I don’t think that’s because he hasn’t been briefed about it, I think he’s been told it’s really difficult to do this under his current framework. ‘Labour aren’t saying some of the things that the Tories and Reform are saying, which is in order to do this you’ve got to detain and deport everybody . ‘But Burnham is obviously not in a position to say that because I don’t think his parliamentary party would support it. ‘So if you’re not going to detain and deport everybody on arrival and you can’t persuade the French to do anymore than what they’re doing already, well then you’re going to get a continued stream of small boats.’ The figures come despite Labour handing over hundreds of millions of pounds more to the French authorities to block crossings. The figures come despite Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood handing over hundreds of millions of pounds more to the French authorities to block crossings Tory shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said 'Labour are the problem' and that 'the illegal Channel crossings keep coming' The deal – signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in April – included an unconditional £500million to pay for beach patrols in France, plus £160million in performance-related funding. But smugglers, in a bid to avoid detection and interception by the French authorities, appear to have shifted their tactics by launching so-called ‘mega-dinghies’ much further away from the usual launch sites around Calais and Dunkirk. Several ‘mega-dinghies’, often carrying more than 100 migrants, have headed towards the Hampshire coast in recent weeks after being launched from Normandy, which is hundreds of miles from Calais . Since January 1, some 20,935 migrants have reached the UK by crossing the Channel illegally. While the number reaching the UK is around 40 per cent lower than at the same point last year, the relatively low number being intercepted compared to under Sir Keir’s premiership will cause alarm among those wanting Mr Burnham to make the crisis more of a priority and end the crossings. The figures behind the analysis covering his first ten weeks go up to the end of September, the latest Home Office data available for interceptions. But between 1 and 7 October, 1,739 migrants successfully made it across the Channel on 23 boats – an average of 76 per vessel. Monday was the busiest day, with 609 migrants reaching UK shores. The Home Office was contacted for comment.