More than 3,000 small boat migrants reached Britain during Andy Burnham's first 22 days as Prime Minister. By comparison with Mr Burnham, Sir Keir Starmer's first 22 days as PM saw 2,258 small boat migrants reach Britain. 'I recently saw for myself French gendarmes shamefully standing by and doing nothing while illegal immigrants boarded in knee-deep water. He continually denied any wrongdoing, arguing that he was a legitimate asylum seeker who wanted to settle in the UK. At least 15 UK-bound migrants have died in the Channel this year, either by drowning or suffocating in a small boat because of overcrowding.