Starmer Criticized by Piers Morgan Over Migrant Numbers
Piers Morgan has taken a swipe at Keir Starmer after a record-breaking number of migrants made the dangerous journey across the Channel in a single day. Nearly 1,200 people arrived in small boats on Saturday alone, setting a grim new benchmark for 2025, according to fresh Home Office stats. The running total for the year so far has hit around 14,811, reported the Express.
That’s quite the blow for the Labour leader, who recently vowed to “smash the gangs” fuelling illegal migration. But with numbers like this, critics are already accusing Starmer of failing to keep control of the country’s borders.
Morgan didn’t hold back. Sharing a report from The Times on X, the outspoken presenter added his own jab. “On Saturday 1,200 migrants crossed from France in small boats — the most recorded making the trip in a single day this year,” he wrote. Then came the knockout line, aimed directly at the Prime Minister: “I thought you were going to ‘stop the boats’, Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer?”
The backlash didn’t stop with Morgan. Tory figures wasted no time in piling on. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp went in hard, saying: “Over a thousand illegal immigrants in a single day, boats flooding the Channel, Border Force stretched beyond breaking point, and even fishing vessels drafted in because our maritime rescue services are overwhelmed.
“A nation reduced to chaos on the high seas while Keir Starmer hides behind platitudes and process. Labour has completely lost control of our borders.
“Their pledge to smash gangs in tatters. They scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even began and now the boats won’t stop coming. So far, this is already the worst year on record.”
And it didn’t end there. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick twisted the knife further, saying: “Starmer promised to smash the gangs, but they’re smashing him.”
While the criticism mounts, shocking scenes continue to unfold across the Channel. French police were spotted standing by as migrants, including children, launched from a beach in Gravelines, tucked between Calais and Dunkirk. Some were later seen being escorted by local authorities as they headed out to sea.
The spike in crossings is turning heads. More than 14,600 people have made it across so far this year — that’s over 30% higher than the same period in 2024, and the worst start to a year since these small boat journeys began back in 2018.
For Labour, it’s a worrying trend at a time when they’ve been trying to draw a line under the Conservative-led immigration approach. But with these figures and the headlines they’re generating, it’s clear Starmer is going to face mounting pressure to show he’s got a grip on the crisis.
Right now, though, it’s the public commentary — and Piers Morgan’s sharp tongue — that’s adding salt to the wound.
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