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Labour has let more migrants cross the Channel illegally than there are soldiers in the British Army, Tories warn

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 25 September 2026.

Labour has let more migrants cross the Channel illegally than there are soldiers in the British Army, Tories warn

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has raised the alarm after small-boat arrivals under Labour hit 83,279 — overtaking the British Army's 83,000 soldiers. Wednesday's record 781 arrivals in a single day pushed the total past that grim milestone, with 1,085 migrants reaching Britain in just three days this week. Cabinet minister Lucy Powell admitted the government 'can't stop everything all of the time', while refusing to guarantee that migrants who landed undetected had all been caught. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who just three weeks ago claimed Labour's tactics were 'bearing fruit', has ordered an urgent review.

Former Royal Navy officer Chris Parry branded the arrivals 'amphibious operations against our coast', saying Labour has overseen 'six-and-a-half divisions' worth of fighting-age men' — more than the D-Day assault wave.

Border Force union warned boats are 'definitely' landing completely undetected on British beaches as far west as Falmouth, with the true scale unknown.

Video footage showed a man abandoning a toddler in chest-deep water while scrambling onto a dinghy off Berck beach — the child was plucked from the sea by French lifeguard rescuers.

MoreDaily MailMigrants die in scramble to board overcrowded UK-bound mega-dinghiesGB NewsIllegal migrants who have arrived under Labour now outnumber entire British ArmyDaily MailInside the most farcical crossing of the whole small-boat crisisDaily MailSmall-boat arrivals now outstrip the regular British ArmyDaily Mail NewsMoment migrant abandons child before scrambling onto dinghy - as record 781 cross Channel on small boats in a single dayGB NewsLucy Powell refuses to confirm if all migrants on 'undetected' small boat arrivals have been detained: 'I'm not the Home Secretary'LBCMigrants landing on British beaches ‘completely undetected’Evening StandardGovernment to ‘push further and harder’ after 781 cross Channel in one dayGB NewsIllegal migrant dies in the Channel while trying to cross into Britain after scuffle erupts on small boatThe SunSmall boat migrant dead after suffering heart attack in water as two die in two days trying to cross Channelx.comWe are told these boats are too unseaworthy to intercept. This one spent 36 hours at sea after leaving Normand… — @benhabib6 on Xx.com781 illegals invaded our country yesterday. Ten boats. 781 illegals. Just think about that. Those knowingly we… — @RupertLowe10 on X
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