Andy Burnham has pledged his government will be "relentless" in curbing the number of people arriving in the UK on small boats. The prime minister said progress had been made and the government was "changing the whole approach", with enforcement officers tackling people-smuggling gangs doubled on both sides of the Channel. The Conservatives said that Labour had not delivered on its promises on migration, while Reform UK said if in government it would deploy the navy to ward off crossings. Burnham noted that 98% of the people who swam to the African territory had been returned to Morocco - which he said had dealt with the immediate issue. His comments came shortly after the Home Office announced that the number of National Crime Agency (NCA) officers tackling smuggling gangs facilitating small boat crossings had risen to almost 800 from 376 at the start of 2025.