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The number of people who crossed the English Channel in small boats since Labour came to power is expected to hit 50,000 this week.

Predictably, the Conservatives are using this to accuse Keir Starmer’s government of “surrendering our borders”.

Reform UK’s Nigel Farage has called it an “invasion”.

But this is a problem the Tories themselves created over the whole of their 14 years in office – and one they exploited for political gain.

During their years in government, Conservative ministers cut Border Force funding and staffing levels in the name of “efficiency” during their austerity programme.

They reduced the UK’s capacity to process asylum claims quickly, which meant that people who arrived were left in limbo – stuck in hotels and temporary accommodation at huge public expense, and slowly overwhelming what was left of the system.

Some have argued that this was no accident. The Tories needed a distraction from the real damage they were doing to the country – wrecking public services, selling off assets, driving down wages and boosting profits for people who were already extremely rich.

So – according to the claim – they created a “bogeyman” in the form of desperate people crossing the Channel, then whipped up outrage over it.

Now they are trying to blame Labour for failing to undo the damage overnight. But Labour has only been in power for just over a year. This is one instance in which it seems clear that Starmer and his cronies are not to blame.

Labour ministers are calling the current crossing figures “unacceptable” – well, of course they are; they know the public is concerned. But this is political damage limitation.

They are also stressing that new measures are in place: more Border Force powers, extra National Crime Agency staff, tougher penalties for people smugglers, and the new “one in, one out” agreement with France.

That last policy, however, has only just begun – and at such a tiny scale (around 50 cases at first) that it will not make a dent in the numbers for months. The government’s own sources admit this.

So if you want to judge Labour’s approach, you need to wait until its policies have had time to take effect.

If you want to know why the Channel crossing problem is as bad as it is, look back to the 14 years of Conservative government that gutted the system, fuelled public anger, and left a mess they are now blaming on their successors.

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