“There is now zero deterrent. No real threat of being deported. No consequences. Just reward after reward.”
Keir Starmer faced fury last night as Britain was battered by a record-breaking Channel surge, with 1,200 illegal migrants crossing in a single day and voters demanding the Rwanda deportation scheme be brought back immediately.
The Border Force was stretched to breaking point, lifeboats were overwhelmed, and even fishing boats had to be drafted in to deal with the migrant armada, including 18 dangerously overloaded dinghies launched from France in calm seas.
It marks the highest number of small boat arrivals in a single day this year and takes the total to a staggering 14,600+ so far in 2025, up 30 per cent on last year, and the worst five-month period since the Channel crisis began in 2018.
But while the boats keep coming, Labour keeps pretending. PM Starmer scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it ever took off — and now, he’s waving them in with open arms.
“This is a day of shame for the Labour Government,” blasted Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
“Over 1,000 illegal immigrants in a single day, Border Force overwhelmed, our coastlines in chaos — and all because Labour axed the one policy that could have stopped it.
Keir Starmer hides behind process while Britain drowns in his failure.”
LABOUR’S BRITAIN: FREE HOMES, CASH, HEALTHCARE — JUST ARRIVE ILLEGALLY
Critics say Labour’s overly generous benefits system is acting like a beacon for illegal migrants, offering free housing, taxpayer-funded cash, NHS healthcare and legal aid, even to those who arrive unlawfully.
There is now zero deterrent. No real threat of being deported. No consequences. Just reward after reward.
A former Conservative MP told The Post:
“Labour killed the Rwanda plan — and now they’ve rolled out the red carpet. Starmer talks tough, but it’s all hot air.
He’s not smashing the gangs. He’s smashing Britain’s border controls. He might as well be on the beach handing out towels.”
Nigel Farage posted furiously:
“On the day we learn migrant benefits cost £1 billion a month, hundreds more arrive. Labour are ruining our country.”
‘THE BOATS WON’T STOP’
Saturday’s numbers shattered the previous record of 825 this year, and came worryingly close to the all-time high of 1,305 set in 2022.
Eleven UK and French rescue vessels and two aircraft had to be scrambled as the Channel turned into a human highway, with even kayaks and a yacht used by smugglers.
Photos from the French coast showed officers watching migrants launch with barely a shrug, despite promises of tougher enforcement.
A French journalist told The Post:
“French authorities will say whatever the British want to hear. But in reality, they want the migrants gone — they want them to be Britain’s problem.”
NO RWANDA = NO CONTROL
The Rwanda deterrent was ready. Planes were prepped. Legislation was passed. But Starmer tore it down — and now even his own supporters are questioning what he’s done.
He promised to “smash the gangs”. But the only thing being smashed is public trust — as smugglers take full advantage of Labour’s paralysis.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said:
“Starmer scrapped, not strengthened, the deterrent — and now we’re all paying the price.”
RED WALL REVOLT BREWING
Immigration is a top concern for voters in Red Wall battlegrounds, and they’re watching this disaster unfold with growing rage.
Labour’s new border strategy, involving a vague “Border Security Command” and MI5 powers, has yet to stop a single boat.
With over 14,600 arrivals this year and no end in sight, many now see Starmer’s policies as all spin and no substance.
