Burnham pledges to tackle smuggling gangs and small boat crossings
- Prime minister Andy Burnham has vowed to be “relentless” as he pledged to tackle smuggling gangs and reduce small boat crossings, announcing a boost in officers deployed to address the issue.
- Since Burnham became prime minister, over 2,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, though the total for the year so far has dropped significantly compared with this time last year.
- The number of National Crime Agency officers tackling organised immigration crime has more than doubled from 376 to almost 800 since the start of 2025, with over 1,000 small boats or engines seized since Labour took power.
- Burnham addressed the recent incident in Ceuta, saying: “I’ve exchanged messages with the Spanish prime minister, and the news from Spain is that around 98 per cent of the people who came into Spanish territory last week have now been returned to Morocco, and there’s an agreement between Spain and Morocco to that effect.”
- Meanwhile, Shabana Mahmood told reporters on Sunday: “I think the most important thing that people need to hear from their home secretary is that I’m doing whatever it takes to secure our border.”
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