Burnham Vows "Relentless" Crackdown on Small Boats
Andy Burnham travelled to Dover on Sunday to promise a “relentless” effort to stop small boats crossing the Channel, his first big intervention on Britain’s borders since becoming Prime Minister. The set-piece visit, days after the migrant crisis at Spain’s Ceuta enclave, was widely read as an attempt to blunt the pressure Reform UK has built on immigration. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, was said to be focused intently on the issue.
Channel crossings have bedevilled successive governments and become one of the most potent issues in British politics, driving much of Reform’s rise. By making an early show of toughness, Mr Burnham signalled he will not cede the ground to his rivals, though delivering results has proved far harder than promising them for every prime minister who has tried. Critics noted the gap between his offer of help to Spain over Ceuta and his hard line at home. The government has yet to set out how it would “grip” the crossings. Watch whether tougher rhetoric is matched by a fall in the numbers.