Since records began eight years ago, the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats has nearly reached 200,000: according to official figures, the total stood at 199,828 as of Sunday evening. The crisis may have a particular impact on Thursday’s election outcome, as Labour faces the threat of a crushing defeat.
The number of migrants is on the verge of 200,000, and just a single boat could push the total over this significant threshold, comparable to the entire population of the city of York. The figures contrast sharply with the fact that of the total number of migrants, only 7,612 have been deported from the UK, representing less than 4% of all arrivals. More than 900 people have crossed the English Channel since Friday.
The figures come just ahead of one of the most decisive moments in Britain this month – Thursday’s election, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party grappling with a number of issues stemming from various controversies involving both Starmer himself and Labour representatives across the country.
The latest poll suggests that Starmer will face a leadership challenge if the party suffers a crushing defeat in the elections to English local councils and the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, Daily Express reported.
Respondents were asked to choose the three worst things Labour had done since coming to power, and “not stopping the boats” appeared as the most common complaint (28%). Next most frequently cited as the Labour government’s “worst” actions were the appointment of Mandelson to Britain’s top diplomatic post (24%); “introducing taxes and freezing income tax thresholds” and “authorising arms sales to Israel” (both 23%); and “removing the cap on child benefit for two children” (17%).
In addition, a recent poll published in The Telegraph found that Muslim voters are turning away from Labour: six out of ten are prepared to vote for an independent candidate who supports Gaza, or for the Green Party, in Thursday’s local elections. The poll found 49% of Muslims said they were considering voting for the Greens to prevent a Labour candidate from winning, whilst 60 per cent were considering supporting an independent candidate.
Support is waning, and the hostility towards Labour is fuelled by various incidents that are gradually coming to light.
The latest episode was a GB News analysis showing that criminals of foreign origin held in British prisons cost taxpayers nearly £630 million a year. Of the 87,342 prisoners held in British prisons in England and Wales, around 10,487 are foreign nationals, which literally means that around one in eight of the prison population are foreign nationals. Therefore, with the average cost of a prison place at £60,018, the annual bill for the imprisonment of foreign offenders totalled £629,408,766.
Ten years ago, the average annual cost per prisoner was £36,259. Consequently, the total expenditure by hard-working British taxpayers on housing foreign offenders has risen by 77% over the same period, which is approximately £355 million more than ten years ago. Equally, the number of foreign nationals behind bars has risen, and they now account for 12% of the prison population. Ten years ago, this figure stood at 11%.
The issue of deporting criminals and enforcing sentences is a complex one and is frequently criticised by the public. Prisoners without legal rights to remain in the country are generally deported after serving just 30% of their sentences, although the figure used to be 50% of the sentence. A noteworthy case caused outrage on social media was when Labour Minister and Attorney General Ellie Reeves stated that a rapist from Afghanistan, aged 23, should not have his sentence extended due to his “immaturity,” according to Daily Express.
People on social media, particularly on Facebook, posted comments along the lines of: “This is Britain under Labour: a 16-year-old can vote, but offenders aged 20 are not mature enough to be held responsible for the brutal abuse of a child.”
In Edinburgh, Scotland, a Labour-led council is due to open a temporary accommodation facility that can be used to house homeless migrants, despite the fact that it is less than a five-minute walk from a primary school. The city council proposed converting the disused Northfield House hotel into a facility to tackle homelessness in Scotland’s capital.
People across the UK are voicing their concerns that migrant accommodation is located near areas where children are present, as this poses a direct threat to their safety.
Thursday’s election is taking place against a backdrop of deep concern about the future of local communities. A survey conducted by JL Partners for the Social Values Commission has revealed that, although almost half of people in the UK (46%) are proud of where they live, only 37% believe their neighbourhoods are thriving. More than half (53%) of those who said their neighbourhood was not thriving cited the decline of the high street as the biggest reason, whilst 44% of all respondents cited potholes as their biggest local annoyance.
