00:03We're just going to be relentless. People want to see this issue addressed. I heard that on the
00:07doorsteps at Makerfield. But we also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as
00:12well because that also takes away the selling points of the gangs. So on every level we've got
00:17to come at this, crucially increasing the enforcement activity. So there's been a doubling
00:23of enforcement officers through the National Crime Agency on the UK side of the channel
00:28and French specialist officers are now similarly doubled in number working on the beaches over
00:35there. So a big ramping up of activity this summer. It's having results. We are not complacent.
00:41Much more needs to be done. The government says tackling small boat crossings requires action
00:47against the criminal groups arranging dangerous journeys alongside measures to support people
00:52who qualify for protection. Ministers say more resources are now being directed towards enforcement
00:58while political opponents argue the current approach has not gone far enough. Here's Andy
01:03Burnham on the topic.
01:05The number of crossings is down by 50% this year compared with the same period, 2025. The month
01:14we've just had, July, has been the lowest number for six years, people crossing. So clearly progress
01:23is being made. But we're not complacent. It's why I am here. It's why I've come down on Sunday
01:29to see, to listen to what they think needs to be done, what further could be done. We have
01:37to deal with the issue, rather than play politics with the issue. Just deal with it. Head on,
01:44grip it, make the changes that will bring that reassurance to the public. The public don't
01:50like the idea that the border looks like it's not controlled. We need to bring back that control,
01:56but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it. It's about changing the whole
02:03approach and slowly but surely we are putting in place those building blocks of a very different
02:09approach to this issue. It's working, but there's more to be done. Ministers argue that targeting
02:15organised criminals is central to reducing crossings because the gangs profit from arranging
02:21dangerous journeys. The Prime Minister has also said safe routes are needed, arguing that lawful
02:27options can reduce the incentive for people to use smuggling networks. The government's approach
02:33is focused on combining enforcement with international cooperation and measures aimed at maintaining control
02:39of the border. Look, I think the most important thing that people need to hear from their Home
02:44Secretary is that I'm doing whatever it takes to secure our border. And that is what I've been
02:48absolutely laser-like focused on from the moment I became the Home Secretary, taking all of the measures
02:53that I know are needed in order to secure our border. That is the work that I've been talking to
02:58the
02:58National Crime Agency officers here about today. It's why we're doubling the number of officers,
03:02because we know their work is making a difference. We know that we are preventing crossings and we can see
03:08some of that work start to bear fruit in terms of the numbers overall as well. But we also know
03:13we need to
03:14address all of the other elements of this problem. It's why I'm pursuing immigration reform to address
03:19the pull factors that draw people into boats in the Channel, want to change the calculus. I want
03:23them to change their mind about whether they get on the boat in the first place. The government's
03:29approach has drawn criticism from opposition parties, who say ministers must do more to reduce small
03:35boat crossings. The Conservatives say Labour has not delivered on its migration promises,
03:40while Reform UK says it would take a different approach, including using the Navy to prevent crossings.
03:47Critics of that proposal have questioned how it would operate within existing maritime rules.
03:53Here's Nigel Farage on Reform's Channel Migrants Return Plan.
04:00So Operation Fortress will be a combined military operation. It will save lives, it will help the French,
04:10in fulfilling their job of stopping the boats and it will save a huge amount of money. We are very
04:18confident that our policy of securely picking people up and safely taking them back to France, we are
04:27entirely confident that that falls within other conventions of international law. The Liberal Democrats
04:36say closer working with European partners and reducing delays in the asylum system should remain
04:41priorities. The government says the focus remains on disrupting people smuggling networks and reducing
04:48the number of people making dangerous journeys across the Channel. Ministers say further enforcement work
04:53will continue alongside efforts to provide safe routes for those eligible for protection. Opposition parties are
05:00expected to maintain pressure on the government's migration policy. Border control and asylum decisions are
05:06likely to remain key areas of focus in the months ahead.
05:10Anti-
05:10of each of the United States.
05:14of the United States.
05:14You
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