UK PM says Channel migrants ‘changing tactics’

British prime minister Andy Burnham on Friday acknowledged asylum seekers reaching the UK from France were “changing their tactics” after hundreds of people arrived on small boats this week.

A total of 781 people arrived in Britain on Wednesday after crossing the Channel on small boats – a daily record for 2026 – although numbers remain below previous years.

“They are changing their tactics but we will be relentless in chasing them down,” Burnham told BBC South East of the smugglers organising the perilous crossings.

In response to a crackdown from British and French authorities, asylum seekers have sought new routes to cross the Channel, prompting multiple protests in southern England in recent weeks.

Prominent far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, has spearheaded protests with hundreds dressed in black clothing and face coverings attempting to block the entry of migrants at various ports.

Thomas was charged for criminal damage Thursday linked to the alleged slashing of a dinghy in the Channel earlier this week.

“I recognise the concern that many people in the public have around immigration. But this is something different,” Burnham told the local ITV channel in southeast England.

“That’s not the British way, as far as I’m concerned,” the Labour leader said of the protesters who were clad in black and sometimes masked.

Successive governments have grappled with how to curb the crossings, a lightning rod issue in the UK, where the hard-right Reform UK party has surged in popularity on the back of growing anti-immigration sentiment.

Some 18,609 people have crossed the Channel from France so far in 2026, down 42% year-on-year.

Burnham, who became prime minister in July after Keir Starmer resigned over a series of missteps, said the measures taken by his predecessor to curb irregular migration “are working”.

However, he acknowledged that a “loss of collaboration with neighbours” since Britain’s acrimonious exit from the European Union in 2020 had worsened the situation.

“I do point to the loss of collaboration with neighbours that came with Brexit. That hasn’t helped,” said Burnham.

“We don’t want to see any crossings at all,” said Burnham, declining to give a date for ending small boat crossings.

The Labour party will hold its first annual conference with Burnham at the helm from Sunday, where the party, buoyed by optimistic polls, will be looking for more concrete policy outlines from its new leader.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.