The number of migrants crossing the English Channel to the UK surged by 25% in 2024, reaching 36,816 people, according to Home Office figures. This marks the second-highest annual total since records began in 2018 and reflects a stark failure to curb illegal migration under the leadership of both the Labour and Conservative parties.

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, slammed the current government’s approach, accusing it of exacerbating the crisis. “Only by sending people back do we stop them coming,” Farage told GB News. He called for a “turn back the boats” strategy akin to Australia’s Operation Sovereign Borders. 

“Tony Abbott in Australia was told he couldn’t do anything about the boats coming from Indonesia, but he towed them back, and the boats stopped coming. We must do the same,” Farage added, dismissing Labour’s reliance on targeting smuggling gangs as insufficient.