Illegal Migration Sets New Records
In the first 22 days of the new prime minister’s tenure, more than three thousand illegal migrants crossed the national border by boat. The situation triggered a wave of outrage on social media.The problem is not only the number itself, but also the fact that the situation has changed dramatically. Whereas previously the English Channel was crossed in small boats, now vessels carrying hundreds of people are being used.
As a former Home Office employee told GB News, ''The Tories failed abysmally but somehow things have got even worse under Burnham. He doesn’t have a plan and the country still doesn’t have a border''.
Outperforming Other Prime Ministers
Burnham has every chance of breaking the records set by his predecessors. During Boris Johnson’s 1,140 days as prime minister, 65,811 people crossed the English Channel in small boats, an average of 58 per day. Rishi Sunak served for 619 days, during which 50,637 migrants arrived in the country — 82 per day. During Keir Starmer’s tenure, 77,183 illegal migrants arrived by boat, an average of 103 every day. In Burnham’s first 22 days, the figure reached 3,003, or an average of 136 people per day. On August 10, another record was set: 230 migrants crossed the border in a single boat.
Dangerous Neighbours
The issue of accommodation is particularly acute. Burnham insists that migrants should be relocated to prosperous areas and calls it a matter of “fairness”.
One such location is expected to be a former military base near the village of Piddington in Oxfordshire. Plans call for 1,250 migrants to be housed there. Most local residents are opposed. Parish councillor Michael Nixon told The Telegraph: ''You hear a lot about human rights, which I'm completely in favour of.But what about the human rights of us as villagers, the impact on our family and home life that will come with having a camp this size on our doorstep?"
The government insists that housing illegal migrants on former military bases will be cheaper. BanksyCat calculated that accommodating the 230 illegal migrants mentioned above in a hotel would cost £14 million per year, while housing them at a former military base would cost £13.4 million annually. Questionable savings. And all of it is paid for by ordinary taxpayers.
However, it appears that Burnham has no intention of stopping the boats. He seems far more concerned with how to accommodate illegal migrants on British soil in maximum comfort.