During a recent BBC broadcast, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said of the UK's migrant crisis, "I think we need to look at every aspect of illegal migration, upstream looking at the causes, which of course are often poverty, climate change, persecution."
Climate change, indeed.
The UK government, according to critics, has rolled out the red carpet for illegal migrants as Channel crossings continue. The scrapping of the Conservative’s Rwanda deportation plan, which saw minimal voluntary removals, has fuelled claims of an immigration "free-for-all," with thousands of new arrivals monthly.
Taxpayer-funded accommodations, including £344,000 monthly taxi services and proposed five-year rent guarantees for landlords, have sparked outrage, costing around £8-10 billion yearly.
Low deportation rates—under 1%—and legal barriers, like ECHR rulings, frustrate critics, while Border Force rescues are labeled a "taxi service."
Protests in Dover and Portsmouth highlight fears of crime and strained services. Pro-migrant voices stress humanitarian obligations, but public resentment grows, with 110,000 rallying in London, exposing deep divides over Britain’s immigration stance.
Critics argue Starmer helped create and sustain the migrant crisis. The prime minister now proposes to remedy the problem with digital IDs — that critics say will transform the UK into a surveillance state.
Starmer's popularity has reached historic lows, with YouGov polls showing 71% of Britons holding an unfavourable opinion of him and a net favourability rating of around -40. Recent surveys, including one from Electoral Calculus, indicate that 54% of the public now wants him to resign, while Labour's polling support has plummeted to 23%, trailing Reform UK.