Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to be “relentless” in tackling small boat crossings, following the crisis in the Spanish territory of Ceuta where tens of thousands of migrants entered the enclave. Speaking during a visit to Dover, Burnham stressed that “safe routes” for refugees are essential to combat trafficking gangs and restore public confidence in border control.
Ceuta crisis and diplomatic assurances
Burnham said he had been assured by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez that approximately 98% of the estimated 50,000 people who entered Ceuta last week had been returned to Morocco. While this dealt “substantially” with the immediate issue, Burnham acknowledged a “broader issue about the Schengen area and our relationship with it,” adding that he would seek “regular dialogue with the EU on those issues.”
The influx, which occurred over just 24 hours, overwhelmed the city of 85,000 people and triggered a political crisis in Madrid, with some EU countries calling for Spain’s suspension from the Schengen zone. At least 72 people died attempting to reach Ceuta, either by drowning or being crushed at the border fence.
UK border control and safe routes
Burnham said the UK must “deal with the issue rather than play politics with the issue” and make changes to reassure the public. “The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled. We need to bring back that control, but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it,” he said. “It’s about changing the whole approach, and slowly but surely we are putting in place those building blocks of a very different approach to this issue.”
His comments come as new figures show a significant drop in Channel crossings compared to previous years. Official provisional data indicates 14,526 people have arrived in the UK via small boats so far this year, a 43% decrease from the 25,436 recorded by this time last year and down 14% from 16,903 in 2024.
Progress and enforcement efforts
Last Wednesday was the busiest day for small boat crossings this year, with 752 people arriving. Burnham said, “Progress is being made but we’re not complacent.” He highlighted that the number of National Crime Agency (NCA) officers tackling organised immigration crime has more than doubled since the start of 2025, from 376 to nearly 800.
Sunday’s figures showed that more than 2,000 people had crossed the Channel since Burnham became prime minister on 20 July, with 326 arrivals on Saturday alone, bringing the total to 2,057. This compares to 1,962 in the same period last year.
Home Secretary’s stance and Labour opposition
On a separate visit to the NCA headquarters in Stratford, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government’s efforts were beginning to “bear fruit.” She faces fierce opposition within the Labour party over proposed measures, including doubling the time required for indefinite leave to remain from five to ten years. Mahmood argued that reform is needed “to address the pull factors that draw people into boats in the Channel,” adding, “I want to change the calculus. I want them to change their mind about whether they get on the boat in the first place.”
She rejected calls to replicate Spain’s response in Ceuta, where thousands were returned to Morocco without asylum processing. That approach works because Morocco and Spain share a land border and have an agreement, whereas people smuggling and shared Channel waters make the UK’s situation “trickier in many ways.”
EU emergency talks and border measures
In response to the Ceuta crisis, EU ministers have convened emergency talks for Tuesday. Leaders from 22 EU countries have demanded an emergency response to prevent further uncontrolled crossings. The summit was called after a “sobering” meeting of EU officials and Frontex experts on Saturday, as the bloc seeks to heal divisions and restore a unified migration approach.
Spain has also installed a 500-metre floating barrier off its border with Morocco to deter further entries, while its leftwing government faces pressure from right and centre-right governments over its plan to regularise about 500,000 immigrants living in Spain. Sánchez called the influx “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”
