No 'switch' to stop small boats, Lucy Powell tells BBC

Lucy Powell has spoken out following a tense period after two separate groups of migrants successfully crossed the English Channel and reached the UK coastline without official escort within a span of just two days. The uncontrolled landings took place in Folkestone and Samphire Hoe within Kent, marking an exceptionally rare occurrence of unintercepted maritime arrivals.

In response to these security breaches, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood demanded an immediate review by the Border Security Command, labeling the failure to intercept both vessels as unacceptable. Meanwhile, official records showed that a total of 781 people arrived aboard 10 boats on Wednesday, representing the highest single-day arrival figure recorded so far this year.

Speaking in a round of interviews with BBC local radio ahead of the Labour Party annual conference, Powell explained the government's ongoing efforts to tackle the issue, stating that authorities are taking every possible step to bear down on and completely eradicate small boat crossings. She noted that while the policy challenge has been massive over recent years, crossings are significantly down this year and lower than at any point in the past six years.

"We are taking all steps we can to really bear down on and eradicate the small boat crossings altogether."

Lucy Powell

Powell also acknowledged that as authorities successfully shut down certain avenues and routes, criminal smuggling gangs continuously adapt by finding alternative methods for their unlawful operations. Typically, thousands of migrants crossing the Channel are brought ashore by Border Security Command or RNLI vessels. Prior to Monday, no unescorted small boat arrivals had been officially recorded since September 6, 2025, with last year's incident remaining the only other recorded case since data collection began in 2023.