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Mega dinghies transport 230 migrants in one go. 80,000 arrived under Labour.

(78 Posts)
Primrose53 Tue 11-Aug-26 16:22:45

Have been in supermarket this morning and all the newspapers are headlining these mega dinghy photos packed to capacity with approx 230 people. No longer can we call them small boats. Their capacity is now more than a Boeing 737 jet!

More than 3,000 migrants have arrived in 22 days and 80,000 have now arrived under Labour. That is the population of towns like Shrewsbury, Great Yarmouth or Chatham in Kent.

Burnham pledged to sort this out but we have bigger boats arriving and still throwing millions of £ at France who are doing nothing except laughing in his face. He honestly does need to do something and fast.

Shel1951 Wed 12-Aug-26 08:13:38

I saw that massive dingy on the news, I don't think France is laughing why would they? They are getting paid and seem to do very little, it would be like killing the golden goose and then eating it

Sarnia Wed 12-Aug-26 08:01:39

Sunshinegirls

Andy Burnham says wealthy areas must house more migrants after leafy village revolts over 1,250 asylum seekers (GB News)

Lovely what a vote winner not how about you just stop the Mega Boats carrying 230 men on, I don't want HMO's full of illegal men from God knows where living next to me or my grand daughters wonder if he'll move some next to his wife and kids some hope.

No, Sunshinegirls you don't want illegal men from God knows where.

There is a lovely hotel near me that had a £2.3 refurbishment during Covid. Before they could open to the public it was full of migrants, all single men. 6 years on they are still there. In that time we have had constant issues with them. The most worrying is the way they have treated young girls. Their cultures do not respect women, plain and simple. They are not going to change the way they treat females just because they have arrived in Britain.
To date several men from this hotel have been in court and all for sexual offences ranging from sexual assaults to rape.
I have a 13 year old GD who walks back from secondary school on her own. I collect her every afternoon. She is quite capable of walking home but I fret about her safety, especially as these men openly hang around outside the school gates.
AB is handing the keys to No 10 to Reform and Revolt if this continues.

eazybee Tue 11-Aug-26 20:06:46

if Farage and Reform were in power they would soon stop this,
How?
By following Sweden's example in imposing stricter measures for entry:
Temporary permits only;
Far tighter citizenship rules based on mandatory language tests & minimum income thresholds;
stricter family reunification measures;
financial and housing criteria raised;
Deportation rules adhered to;
voluntary repatriation offered;

And enforcing them all.

Silvershadow Tue 11-Aug-26 19:41:24

I do wonder why there isn’t the will to stop this. They say it’s organised crime facilitating all of this. I wonder if politicians from all parties are afraid for their own safety and that of their families from these criminals which is why there is no effort to stop it.
Just a thought. I can see no reason why this allowed.

Sunshinegirls Tue 11-Aug-26 19:00:55

www.reformparty.uk/policies

Read it if you are interested.

butterandjam Tue 11-Aug-26 18:51:45

"if Farage and Reform were in power they would soon stop this,"

How ?

petra Tue 11-Aug-26 18:42:00

To get some understanding of how difficult it is to catch the people smugglers this series of programs explains it all.
I’ve listened to every single one.
I think this is the first episode of the first series. imo these 2 people know more about the difficulties faced than anyone does.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/to-catch-a-scorpion-radio-4-bbc-sounds

Casdon Tue 11-Aug-26 18:05:52

I believe they re using drones at sea to identify them now, so that number will increase because there is photographic evidence. There are probably more also caught up in the court hearing delays.

MartavTaurus Tue 11-Aug-26 17:59:34

Casdon

Those figures are not correct MartavTaurus, are you referring to pilots of small boats only?
www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nca-people-smuggling-arrests-uk-b2978412.html

Quite possibly, it was on the news last night, so I perhaps misheard.

Though locking up only 10 pilots so far, is still a pretty poor show considering the number of crossings. It's no great deterrent and that's what's needed, deterrents.

MT62 Tue 11-Aug-26 17:53:43

MT62

Mainly

Maybe70

MT62 Tue 11-Aug-26 17:52:59

Mainly

Casdon Tue 11-Aug-26 17:52:56

Those figures are not correct MartavTaurus, are you referring to pilots of small boats only?
www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nca-people-smuggling-arrests-uk-b2978412.html

TerriBull Tue 11-Aug-26 17:48:50

Someone was holding a baby up by the arm about to board one of these vessels pictured the other day. I worried that the little soul wouldn't have a life jacket small enough. Hopefully he's safe and well where ever he is. It's a rare sight to see women, children and babies alongside all the men.

MartavTaurus Tue 11-Aug-26 17:44:13

X post GrannyGravy13. 👍
That is the issue.

MartavTaurus Tue 11-Aug-26 17:41:26

Good, if the number is dropping, though we might see an increase now due to these bigger boats and the good weather.

Bad, that only 15 people smugglers have been charged, and only 10 of them have been sent to prison. That suggests the French are being a bit lackadaisical in helping to track them down. The gangs are 20 steps ahead.
Plus bad, allowing Decathlon stores on the northern French coast to sell racks and racks of life jackets, encouraging people to make the crossing.

GrannyGravy13 Tue 11-Aug-26 17:39:37

The thing that is really worrying about these mega dinghies is that they are so unsafe, the one that arrived most recently had women, children and even a baby onboard.

They are a disaster waiting to happen.

Why oh why can’t more of the despicable people traffickers be caught and prosecuted. If those that are desperate to cross the channel can find the traffickers why can’t the relevant authorities?

MayBee70 Tue 11-Aug-26 17:37:07

People throwing questions about boats to Burnham on his trip to Ilkeston today. Is it all some people think about?

Sunshinegirls Tue 11-Aug-26 17:32:20

Andy Burnham says wealthy areas must house more migrants after leafy village revolts over 1,250 asylum seekers (GB News)

Lovely what a vote winner not how about you just stop the Mega Boats carrying 230 men on, I don't want HMO's full of illegal men from God knows where living next to me or my grand daughters wonder if he'll move some next to his wife and kids some hope.

Jaxjacky Tue 11-Aug-26 17:14:05

Telegraph, Mail and Sun Primrose so not all of them.

MT62 Tue 11-Aug-26 17:05:57

Someone must have seen all these people getting on this mega dingy, did the French authorities attempt to stop it?
To say we are paying France all this money they aren’t doing a very good job at stopping these boats imo.

Sarnia Tue 11-Aug-26 17:00:32

We give £660m to the French to stop these boats. What an utter waste of money.

I don't mind families searching for safety and a better life by coming here to live. In the NHS I worked with many who fitted that bill. They learned English, worked, paid their taxes, respected others and were lovely people but they applied through the proper channels. I am not offended to see mosques on our streets, providing they understand we are a Christian country. Acceptance and respect should be a two-way street.

The UK took their eye off the ball a long time ago. Border Force has not been fit for purpose for decades and we are reaping the whirlwind. Hundreds of mostly young men piling into the country with no proper checks on who they are with zero respect for women or if they even have any right to be here. High streets clogged with barbers, vape shops, nail bars and mini marts with a sizeable number of them run by organised crime.

Our Governments have allowed this to happen in plain sight and Britain is suffering because of it.

Sunshinegirls Tue 11-Aug-26 16:57:09

Billions we have given France, I think I'd ask for a refund, of course they are laughing at us and our stupid government. They couldn't spot a Mega Dinghy with 230 on board haha they can't wait to get rid of them they don't want them either. This will be Burnhams downfall, if Farage and Reform were in power they would soon stop this, problem is Burnham hasn't got the balls he's weak.

Sunshinegirls Tue 11-Aug-26 16:49:13

Since the Labour government took office in July 2024, approximately 72,000 to 80,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats. The exact number fluctuates by tracking source, with independent trackers recording around 79,900 arrivals and mainstream news outlets placing the figure at just over 72,000. (GOOGLE)

Daddima Tue 11-Aug-26 16:44:15

Have 80,000 migrants arrived in the UK since Labour came to power in July 2024?”, the answer depends very much on what is meant by migrants.

* Small-boat arrivals: No — the number is considerably lower than 80,000 since Labour took office. By the end of 2025, there had been roughly 51,000 small-boat arrivals since July 2024, and the 2026 figure so far is lower than the previous year.
* People claiming asylum: Yes, the number is over 80,000 if you count all asylum claimants during Labour’s period in office. In the year ending March 2026, 93,500 people claimed asylum. However, some of those people were already legally in Britain on visas before claiming asylum, so they did not necessarily “arrive” as asylum seekers.
* All immigration: The number is vastly higher. In the year ending June 2025 alone, an estimated 898,000 people migrated into the UK, although that includes students, workers, family members and others—not just asylum seekers or irregular migrants.

So if you’ve seen the claim “80,000 migrants have arrived under Labour”, it is important to ask which category and which dates the figure refers to. It isn’t a figure for 80,000 illegal-boat arrivals.

Figures are from the House of Commons Library

winterwhite Tue 11-Aug-26 16:40:49

What would you do, OP, if you were Andy Burnham - to ‘sort this out fast’ as you advise.

I have not noticed France laughing in our faces.