The United Kingdom has crossed a controversial and closely watched threshold: more than 50,000 migrants have arrived on its shores in small boats since Labour’s Keir Starmer took office in July 2024. The milestone, confirmed on August 11, 2025, has sparked fierce debate across the political spectrum and renewed scrutiny of the government’s ability to manage the country’s borders.
According to an informal headcount reported by multiple outlets, including The Independent and The Times, the 50,000 mark was reached just 13 months—or 403 days—into Starmer’s premiership. That’s seven months faster than under his Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak, whose government took 610 days to reach the same number. The most recent daily arrivals figure was estimated at 474 on August 11, bringing the running total since Labour’s election victory on July 4, 2024, to 50,271. More migrants were seen arriving in Dover the following day, underscoring the ongoing nature of the issue.
For context, the number of small boat arrivals has been on a steady upward trajectory for years. Home Office data shows that the average number of people per boat has risen dramatically: from just seven in 2018 to 59 so far in 2025. The pace of crossings has also accelerated. During Boris Johnson’s tenure as prime minister, it took 1,066 days to reach 50,000 arrivals, and a total of 65,676 migrants crossed the Channel over his three years, one month, and 12 days in office. In comparison, Liz Truss’s brief 49-day stint as prime minister saw 10,532 arrivals, including one day—September 9, 2022—with 1,241 people making the journey, the third highest daily figure on record.
The rapidity with which the 50,000 milestone has been reached under Labour has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and even prompted concern within Starmer’s own ranks. Baroness Smith of Malvern, Labour’s education and women and equalities minister, described the record as “unacceptable.” She told BBC Breakfast, “It is an unacceptable number of people.” On Times Radio, she elaborated, “Criminal gangs have got an absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people across the Channel.” Smith insisted that Labour was taking responsibility but argued the roots of the crisis lay in previous Conservative governments: “We are taking responsibility. I don’t believe it is our fault that it was enabled to take root in the way in which it has done by a government who failed to do what was necessary at that point.”
Smith also pointed to recent government actions: “That’s why we need the action we’ve already taken to increase the speed with which we make asylum decisions, to remove more people from this country, the groundbreaking deal that we now have with the French, and we’ve already detained people who’ve come to the country.”
But opposition leaders are having none of it. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has been especially vocal, vowing to cut arrivals to zero and lambasting Labour’s handling of the situation. Speaking on the Isle of Wight, Badenoch said, “Labour’s plan to smash the gangs was just a slogan. Things are so much worse since Labour came into office, they have no plans. Their one in, one out scheme isn’t going to work, and what we’re seeing is a lot of local communities having to pay the price and bear the brunt of the Government’s incompetence.” She further claimed, “My team are now looking at what we can do in terms of detention centres, but stopping people from coming here in the first place—if they think they’re going to be sent to Rwanda and not get here, get a free hotel, get benefits, then they won’t come here.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp took the criticism even further, declaring, “Labour has surrendered our borders, and the consequences are being felt in our communities, from rising crime to shocking cases of rape and sexual assault by recent arrivals.” He accused the government of having “scrapped Conservative deterrents and created the conditions for chaos,” and called the situation “the worst crisis in our history.”
Labour’s critics have also seized on new figures showing a decline in arrests for people-smuggling. According to The Independent, the latest National Crime Agency data shows that arrests for organized immigration crime fell 16 percent in the 12 months to April 2025, with 192 arrests compared to 229 under the previous Conservative government. Shadow home secretary Philp said these figures were evidence that Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” had been, in his words, “an abject failure.”
In response, the Home Office has emphasized its efforts to dismantle criminal networks and strengthen border security. A spokesperson said, “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice. That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage.” The government highlighted international intelligence sharing, enhanced enforcement in northern France, and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill as key tools in the fight.
One of the most notable recent measures is the new “one in, one out” agreement with France, which began in early August 2025. Under this scheme, UK officials aim to make referrals for returns to France within three days of a migrant’s arrival by small boat, and French authorities are expected to respond within 14 days. The government hopes to return about 50 migrants a week under the deal, with numbers expected to rise later in the year. However, critics like Badenoch remain skeptical, dismissing the arrangement as insufficient and unlikely to stem the tide.
The debate is not limited to politicians. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, offered a different perspective, emphasizing the desperation driving many migrants. “We know from our frontline services that the men, women and children risking their lives in small boats are often fleeing places like Sudan, where war has left them with nowhere else to turn. People do not cross the Channel unless what lies behind them is more terrifying than what lies ahead.” Solomon called on ministers to expand safe and legal routes for people to come to Britain, suggesting that family reunification and greater cooperation with European partners are essential to “stop smugglers for good.”
The numbers for 2025 are stark: 27,029 arrivals so far this year, 47 percent higher than at the same point in 2024 and 67 percent higher than in 2023. The average number of people per boat continues to climb, and the political pressure on Starmer’s government shows no sign of abating. With the issue dominating headlines and dividing public opinion, the challenge for Labour—and for the country—remains as daunting as ever.
As the boats keep coming and the rhetoric intensifies, Britain’s struggle to balance border control, humanitarian obligations, and political realities seems far from over.
