Mark White Exposes Major Problem With Labour’s Claim After Record Mega-Dinghy Carrying 230 Migrants Reaches Kent
A large dinghy carrying 230 people, roughly the same number of passengers as a Boeing 737, arrived on the Kent coast on Monday.
Cabinet Office Minister Sally Jameson faced a difficult interview with GB News presenter Mark White after claiming the Labour Government had stopped 46,000 people from crossing the English Channel.
Mark accused the Government of repeatedly using this figure to defend its record instead of dealing with the wider migrant crisis. He argued that many of those stopped by French officers simply return to the dunes, contact another people smuggler and try to cross again.
The debate came after a record-breaking “mega-dinghy” brought 230 migrants across the Channel in a single journey.
Ms Jameson said nobody wanted to see such scenes and described the actions of people-smuggling gangs as unacceptable. She said it was especially worrying to see children being placed aboard overcrowded and dangerous boats.
However, she rejected claims that the Government had ignored the problem. She said Labour’s agreement with France had prevented 46,000 attempted crossings. She also claimed July recorded the lowest number of Channel crossings for six years.
According to Ms Jameson, around 70,000 people who did not have the legal right to remain in Britain had been removed since Labour entered office. She said this showed that a large amount of work was already being done, although she admitted the crisis was far from over.
She added that the Home Secretary and Home Office officials were working constantly to tackle the criminal gangs behind the crossings. She said the Government wanted to make steady progress every month and would introduce further measures in the coming months.
But Mark questioned the importance of the Government’s 46,000 figure. He described it as meaningless because stopping one crossing did not necessarily prevent the same people from trying again later.
He said those stopped by French authorities could simply disappear into the coastal areas, meet another smuggler and make another attempt. In his view, the policy was delaying the crossings instead of permanently preventing them.
Ms Jameson strongly disagreed. She insisted that the Government was making progress and working on the crisis every day. She admitted Labour could not claim the job was finished, but said ministers were taking difficult decisions and preparing more action.
She also said tackling Channel crossings remained a top priority for Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the Home Secretary and the entire Government. She pointed out that irregular migration was affecting several countries and said Britain’s response needed to keep changing because the smuggling gangs were also changing their methods.
The interview later moved to Labour’s early-release scheme and the possible release of two men convicted over the killing of PC Andrew Harper.
Mark asked why the two men were not excluded from early release under Harper’s Law. Ms Jameson said she and the Prime Minister fully understood the pain and anger felt by PC Harper’s family and the wider public.
She explained that Harper’s Law was introduced after the men had already been sentenced, meaning it could not be applied to their case retrospectively. This, she said, made the situation more complicated.
However, she said Prime Minister Andy Burnham had asked the Justice Secretary to examine every available option to prevent their release. She insisted that the Government remained determined to find a legal solution.
The Prime Minister later said he was confident that more could be done. He acknowledged the deep concern across the country and expressed sympathy for PC Harper’s family as they faced further distress over the possible release.
Mr Burnham said he had continued to push the justice system to go further since entering office. He refused to accept that nothing else could be done and promised that he would not give up trying to stop the two men from being released early.
