Labour Under Fire as Channel Crossings Hit Record Levels and Rwanda Plan Axed

People across the country are growing frustrated at large-scale migrant accommodation being pushed into communities without consultation. Many feel local services are already stretched and public safety is being overlooked. The tensions have only deepened as the government struggles to get a grip on illegal migration.

Before the election, Keir Starmer pledged to “smash the gangs,” yet small boat crossings have surged to record highs. More than 52,000 people have crossed the Channel in 2025 alone. Critics say Labour’s decision to scrap the Rwanda policy on day one of government has made the crisis worse.

The Rwanda plan was simple: anyone who arrived illegally would either be returned to their home country or, if that was unsafe, sent to Rwanda to have their claim processed. The first flights were scheduled for July 2024, but the policy was cancelled before it could begin. Opponents argue that without a real deterrent, crossings have spiralled, according to UKNIP.

It is not just Labour that has been floundering. Reform UK recently rolled out its own proposals, but they seemed to recycle parts of the Conservative Party’s Deportation Bill and even included a short-lived plan to deport unaccompanied children before swiftly backtracking.

Conservatives insist they have workable answers. Their proposals include automatic deportation for all illegal arrivals, suspending the Human Rights Act in immigration cases, imposing visa sanctions on countries that refuse to take back their nationals, and using mandatory scientific age checks for asylum seekers. The party is also weighing whether to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights altogether, with a review led by Lord Wolfson due to report in October.

Beyond the small boats, Conservatives say the government must manage overall net migration too. Previous measures introduced under Tory leadership included stopping dependents from accompanying foreign students, raising the minimum salary threshold for family visas to £28,000, and tightening work visa rules. They claim those steps were both tough and fair, and that they worked.

The debate has sharpened around whether Labour has any real plan. Starmer’s promise to break up the smuggling gangs now looks hollow as the numbers keep climbing. Without serious action, critics argue, the UK risks losing control of its borders entirely.

Those pressing for stronger measures argue the solutions are already there in the Conservatives’ Deportation Bill. What is missing, they say, is the political will from the government to put them into practice. Until then, communities will keep feeling the strain, crossings will continue to rise, and the promise to “smash the gangs” will remain nothing more than words.