More than 50,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Labour won power last July, official Home Office figures published on Tuesday show. The tally reached 50,271 after 474 arrivals were recorded on Monday, meaning the milestone was passed in just 401 days of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership—considerably faster than under his Conservative predecessors. The flow represents an increase of almost 50 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, underscoring the difficulty successive governments have faced in deterring the dangerous crossings. French authorities, who reported rescuing 166 migrants off the Pas-de-Calais coast on Monday, say at least 18 people have died attempting the journey so far this year. Home Office minister Baroness Smith described the total as “unacceptable” but insisted the government is “making progress”, citing a newly launched “one-in, one-out” pilot with Paris that aims to return about 50 migrants a week while admitting an equal number judged to have stronger asylum claims. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, now before Parliament, would increase penalties for people-smuggling and expand enforcement powers. Opposition parties dismissed the measures as insufficient. Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Labour of overseeing “the worst illegal immigration crisis in our history”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the figures exposed a lack of credible deterrence. Analysts expect the Channel route to remain a flashpoint as migration and border security dominate the political agenda ahead of next year’s local elections.