Stopping the boats was a topic that came up regularly at my summer Q&As. And to be frank, there was some scepticism about the impact of efforts to bring these down.
This week, as I’ve been discussing with many of you over the last few weeks, we’ve seen that this Labour government’s actions are beginning to bear fruit. The numbers are in – and they show that June, July and August had the lowest number of small boat crossings in seven years.
This is good news. Some of you might respond that the ‘boats are getting bigger’ – perhaps, but this doesn’t detract from the far more important trend, which is that the numbers of individuals making these crossings is ALSO down – down, in fact, to the lowest summer total since 2020.
There’s still much more to do. Rightly the government has said that it will continue to be relentless in targeting the criminal gangs behind these crossings, and continue to remove the incentives that draw people here on unsafe and illegal routes.
But rather than headline-chasing slogans and far-fetched schemes, this government is showing that it is practical and effective action that delivers results.