And where is (you put it in quotes) “I am going to smash the gangs” in the manifesto?
I can’t find it. I have found this:
“Labour will stop the chaos and
go after the criminal gangs who
trade in driving this crisis. We will
create a new Border Security
Command, with hundreds of new
investigators, intelligence officers,
and cross-border police officers.”
And here is the Migration Observatory Labour’s pledges on migration: the data - Migration Observatory
Quote
“Net migration to the UK – the difference between immigration and emigration – fell to an estimated 204,000 in the year ending June 2025. That was 78% lower than its 2023 peak, and lower than during most of the previous decade.”
“Skilled worker visas fell to 52,000 in the year ending Sept 2025 - a 75% decline in 2 years”
" The number of people crossing the Channel increased significantly in the 18 months of Labour government. There were around 41,000 arrivals in 2025 – close to the record levels reached in 2022, and 13% more than a year before. In the year ending 30 June 2025, the last period for which data were available, small boat arrivals made up 5% of overall immigration into the UK.
In the last few years, numbers have fluctuated up and down for many reasons, and it is hard to disentangle the causes. The Home Office suggested that a period of unexpectedly calm weather in the Channel in the first half of 2025 led to more crossings; however, there is no evidence that weather conditions affect the number of crossings over longer periods, rather than simply determining their timing in the short run.
While we have official data on how small boat crossings change, it is very difficult to attribute any increase or decrease to specific government policies. Many external factors can influence arrivals more than government policy. These include social and economic developments in countries of origin and developments in smuggling networks."
There were 47,670 small boat arrivals in the year to 30 Oct 2022. Mostly under Johnson.
There were 46,525 in year to August 6th 2025. Starmer. Down to 41,475 in the year to Dec 30 2025
A small cut, and not the massive increase that GB Propaganda would have you believe.