Nigel Farage Blamed for Surge in Small Boat Crossings After Brexit Deal Was Torn Up

Nigel Farage is being blamed for the sharp rise in small boat crossings, after the Brexit deal brought an end to a key EU agreement that once allowed asylum seekers to be returned more easily.

The SNP has accused the Reform UK leader of leaving a damaging legacy, arguing that his push for Britain to leave the European Union is directly linked to soaring levels of illegal migration.

Before Brexit, the Dublin Regulation meant the UK could send asylum seekers back to EU countries without having to assess their claims. It also provided a legal way for families separated by asylum applications to reunite in Britain. That agreement ended with Brexit in December 2020, reported the Daily Record.

Since then, the number of small boat crossings has rocketed. Government figures show there were 8,466 crossings in 2020. A year later the number jumped to 28,526, then hit 45,774 in 2022. For the first six months of this year alone, the figure has already reached 29,003. The ongoing crisis has left the Labour government under pressure to come up with lasting solutions.

SNP MP Stephen Gethins said Farage should take responsibility. Speaking to reporters, the Arbroath and Broughty Ferry MP said: “As a result of the hard Brexit that Nigel Farage and his Tory allies campaigned for and implemented, the price of groceries have gone up and our energy bills have soared – and at a time of international crisis, the UK is more isolated from its partners than ever before.

“To make it even worse, underlining the rank hypocrisy that we have come to expect, these figures show clearly that it is Nigel Farage’s legacy that has led to an upsurge in small boats and illegal migration to the UK.

“Before Brexit, there was a means of returning illegal migrants who came in via the small boats, but that deal was ripped up by Brexiteers like Nigel Farage, who would rather do a deal with the Taliban than with our closest neighbours in the rest of Europe.

“Nigel Farage has prioritised his political ideology and dodgy dogma over the safety of UK citizens, and those fleeing war and persecution elsewhere in the world.”

The government has promised a series of measures to deal with the problem. Ministers say their focus will be on “smashing” the criminal gangs running the crossings, bolstering border security and stepping up returns where possible.

Keir Starmer has also pledged to stop housing asylum seekers in hotels, a policy he argues is costly and unsustainable. But with the practice continuing for now, protests have broken out in several parts of the country, adding to the political pressure.

The debate over small boat crossings remains one of the most divisive issues in British politics. Critics of Brexit say scrapping the Dublin Regulation has left the UK with fewer tools to manage the problem, while supporters of leaving the EU argue Britain is better off controlling its own borders. Either way, the numbers crossing the Channel show no sign of slowing down, and with winter approaching, the government is bracing for even more scrutiny.