Prime Minister Burnham pledges intensified effort against small boat crossings

Prime Minister Andy Burnham travelled to Dover on 2 August 2026 and promised to keep working hard to stop small boat crossings. He visited a control room where officers use drones to watch the Channel. Burnham said the number of crossings has fallen sharply compared to last year. The Home Office has nearly doubled the number of officers fighting smuggling gangs, from 376 to almost 800. France has also doubled its officer numbers. Burnham mentioned that 98% of migrants who entered the Spanish territory of Ceuta, a small area in North Africa, were sent back to Morocco. He said the government wants to solve the problem rather than talk about it for political reasons. He also said he wants to discuss UK relations with the EU's Schengen travel area.