New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced the government’s commitment to relentlessly reduce the number of migrants arriving in the country in small boats across the English Channel, writes the BBC.

Burnham said that progress would be made and the government would change its mind. Authorities are already fighting people smuggling gangs on both sides of the English Channel, which separates Britain from France. Speaking to journalists in the coastal town of Dover, Burnham said people want to see these issues addressed. He added that there is also a need to create a safe haven for the group, which would deprive it of the possibility of illegal entry into Britain.

Conservative political forces have complained that Labour has not kept its promises related to migration, while the populist Reform Party has announced that if it were in power, it would send the Royal Navy to the English Channel to reduce the flow of migration.

Political discussions about British migration policy have resumed with renewed vigor after almost 50,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in various ways on July 30. Burnham noted that 98% of those who entered Spanish territory have been sent back to Morocco, and that this has solved the most acute problem. However, the British Prime Minister added that there is a wider problem with the Schengen area and Britain’s relationship with it, and said that this is why he wants to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the European Union.

Burnham’s comments follow a Home Office announcement that

the number of officers tackling people smuggling gangs has risen to almost 800, up from 376 in 2025.

Burnham said a similar increase in staff was being seen in France. Asked whether he wanted to change the tone of the debate about migrants in small boats, the prime minister said he wanted to deal with the sensitive issue rather than play political games. He added that the public did not like the idea of ​​a seemingly uncontrolled border and that control needed to be regained, while offering help to people who really needed it.

The Home Office reported on the 2nd of August that nearly 300 members of smuggling gangs had been arrested last year, and more than 1,100 small boats and their motors had been seized.

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