Andy Burnham Is Asked if Labour Will Stop Small Boat Crossings Before the Next Election, but His Answer Leaves People Concerned

Andy Burnham has refused to promise that Labour will completely stop small boat crossings before the next general election in 2029.

Speaking to GB News for the first time since becoming Prime Minister, Mr Burnham said it would be wrong to give the public a firm deadline when he could not guarantee that it would be met.

He said he could only promise to remain fully focused on tackling the problem and introducing further measures to reduce the number of people crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Mr Burnham said he repeatedly heard concerns about illegal immigration while speaking to voters in Makerfield. He said he understands that many people are angry and worried about the situation and wants them to know that the Government is listening.

The Prime Minister claimed progress was already being made, saying both Channel crossings and overall immigration had fallen. However, he admitted that the Government still had much more work to do.

Figures quoted in the report show that 79,275 migrants arrived in small boats while Sir Keir Starmer was Prime Minister. His daily average reportedly stood at around 106 arrivals.

Since Mr Burnham entered Downing Street, 3,003 people have crossed the Channel during his first 22 days in office. That gives him a daily average of about 137 arrivals, which is higher than Sir Keir’s figure.

For comparison, Boris Johnson reportedly had an average of 58 arrivals each day, while Rishi Sunak’s average was around 82.

However, Mr Burnham became Prime Minister during the summer, when better weather usually leads to more attempted crossings. This means his early figures may appear unusually high because they cover one of the busiest periods of the year.

The Government is also facing a change in tactics from people-smuggling gangs. Criminal groups are now reportedly using much larger boats capable of carrying hundreds of passengers at once.

This became clear when a record 230 migrants were packed onto one vessel that travelled from northern France to Dover.

Mr Burnham acknowledged that the image of so many people crowded onto one boat would have worried members of the public. He said the incident showed that smugglers were changing how they operated, but promised that the Government would also change its methods in response.

He said the authorities would continue pursuing the gangs and would not give up until their operations had been disrupted.

Mr Burnham also pointed to figures suggesting that small boat crossings have fallen by about 40 per cent compared with 2025. He said there were now more police and enforcement officers working on the French side of the Channel following a new agreement signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

According to the Prime Minister, the increased enforcement presence in France has helped reduce the number of successful crossings. However, he admitted that a reduction would not satisfy people who want the crossings stopped entirely.

Mr Burnham said he understood why the public wanted to see no boats arriving at all. Although he would not promise that the crisis would be over by 2029, he insisted that Labour would continue introducing new measures and working on the problem until the crossings were brought to an end.