'Our borders are secure': minister insists Border Force is in control after migrant dinghy slips through UNDETECTED
From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.
Luke Pollard, the defence minister who told LBC "our borders are secure," highlighted that Channel crossings are at a six-year low, with 17,480 arrivals by boat so far this year — a 46% fall on the same point last year.A migrant dinghy crosses the English Channel toward a Kent beach — similar to the vessel that came ashore near Folkestone undetected, prompting Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp to brand it "a border farce.
Defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC on Tuesday that UK borders are "secure" after a migrant dinghy landed unescorted at Folkestone — the first such breach in a year — with reports that several migrants fled before police arrived. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had "completely lost control" of the border and called it a "border farce". Authorities were reportedly only alerted to the vessel after a GB News producer spotted it near the shore and called police. Some 17,480 migrants have crossed the Channel this year, down 46% on the same point last year.
The dinghy, carrying up to seven migrants, evaded both French and UK patrols before landing on a rocky shoreline east of Folkestone on Monday morning.
Chris Philp warned: 'Illegal immigrants are now landing on our coast at will — uncontrolled landings mean unvetted migrants can roam free.'
Labour faces separate fury over plans to house 150 asylum seekers in Aberdeen, branded 'disgraceful' by critics who say the city is already overwhelmed.
