4 September 2026
400%.
That’s how much net migration increased under the last Conservative government.
It’s a frankly staggering number. For years, the Conservatives promised to bring immigration down. Instead, it soared. At the same time, small boats crossed the Channel, the asylum backlog grew, and hundreds of hotels were opened at enormous expense to the taxpayer.
In other words, they completely broke our immigration and asylum system – and that broken system is what Labour inherited when we took office.
Unfortunately, you can’t fix a mess that big overnight. We still have much more work to do. Yet we have spent the last two years getting a grip – and there are now encouraging signs that our approach is working.
This summer, fewer people crossed the Channel in small boats than in any summer since 2020. That isn’t coincidence – it’s down to Labour’s approach.
Instead of spending hundreds of millions on the Conservatives’ failed Rwanda scheme – which only returned four volunteers – we have concentrated our efforts on stopping the boats and smashing the criminal gangs responsible for this vile trade.
Our new agreement with France means French police are taking stronger action to stop boats leaving their shores. Since Labour came to office, more than 48,000 attempted crossings have been prevented. The National Crime Agency and our international partners have also seized more than 1,100 boats and engines, hitting the gangs’ supply chains before they can put people to sea.
We are also dealing with those who have no right to remain here.
More than 80,000 people have been returned – the highest level in a decade. The number of asylum seekers in hotels is down 46%, as we work towards ending their use altogether, and asylum claims are down by a fifth. We have also delivered the biggest crackdown on illegal working on record and removed more foreign national offenders.
We are bringing immigration down more widely, too: net migration has fallen 74% since Labour came to office.
None of this means the problem is solved.
People are still making dangerous and illegal journeys across the Channel, and criminal gangs will constantly change their tactics to evade the authorities. There is an enormous job still to do, but Labour are showing that we are getting on with the job.
Reform, meanwhile, only shout from the sidelines.
There’s a reason for that. Reform’s politics depends on convincing people that nothing works, nothing can change, and Britain’s problems can only get worse. Every small boat crossing gives them another opportunity to spread anger and division.
Just look at who they have trying to lecture us.
Robert Jenrick was the Conservative Immigration Minister. Suella Braverman was the Conservative Home Secretary. They were not innocent bystanders while the Conservatives lost control of our borders – they were two of the people in charge.
Now they’ve changed the colour of their rosettes and been welcomed with open arms by Nigel Farage. That tells you everything. If he actually wanted to solve problems instead of exploiting them, he wouldn’t invite the arsonists back to put out the fire.
Labour will keep cracking on – fixing the system, bringing immigration down, and restoring control to Britain’s borders.