Andy Burnham has vowed to be “relentless” as he promises to tackle smuggling gang in a bid to drive down small boat crossings.

On a visit to Dover on Sunday, the prime minister said he is not “complacent” on the issue of small boat crossings as he announced a boost to the number of officers deployed to tackle smuggling gangs.

Mr Burnham highlighted that crossings are down significantly compared to the numbers for this time last year, but vowed to get a “grip” on the situation rather than “play politics.”

“Clearly, progress is being made, but we’re not complacent, and it’s why I am here,” he said,

“It’s why I’ve come down on Sunday to see the team to listen to what they think needs to be done, what further can be done. So we’re just going to be relentless.

“People want to see this issue addressed. I heard that on the doorsteps in Makerfield, but we also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes away the selling point of the gangs.

“So on every level we’ve got to cover this … crucially increasing the enforcement activity.”

On Sunday, the latest figures showed that more than 2,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats since Mr Burnham became prime minister.

Home Office numbers show 326 migrants arrived on Saturday in four boats, bringing the number up to 2,057 since he took over from Sir Keir Starmer on July 20.

There were 1,962 crossings in the same period last year, with the total for the year so far having dropped significantly compared with this time in 2025.

Since the start of 2025, the number of National Crime Agency officers tackling organised immigration crime has more than doubled from 376 to almost 800.

More than 1,000 small boats or engines have been seized since Labour came into power in 2024 and pledged to crack down on the supply of equipment to smuggling gangs who take migrants across the Channel.

Asked if he wanted to change the tone of the debate on the issue, Mr Burnham said: “We have to deal with the issue rather than play politics with the issue. Just deal with it head on, grip it, and then make the changes that will bring that reassurance to the public.

“The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled.

“We need to bring back that control, but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it.

“It’s about changing the whole approach, and slowly but surely we are putting in place those building blocks of a very different approach to this issue. It’s working, but there’s more to be done.”

The announcement comes as more than 60 people are now reported to have died after around 60,000 migrants crossed into the the Spanish enclave Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday in extraordinary scenes.

The incident has caused division in the EU, with Italy temporarily suspending the border-free Schengen arrangement with Madrid in a move backed by Finland and Denmark.

Mr Burnham said he had been in contact with Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez and that the “immediate issue” had been dealt with.

“I’ve exchanged messages with the Spanish prime minister, and the news from Spain is that around 98 per cent of the people who came into Spanish territory last week have now been returned to Morocco, and there’s an agreement between Spain and Morocco to that effect.

“So that substantially deals with the immediate issue.

“But of course there’s a broader issue about the Schengen area and our relationship with with it, and of course, I would want to be in regular dialogue with the EU on those issues.”

Asked if he would like to be at the table for coming emergency EU talks on the situation in Ceuta, he said: “It’s a matter for the EU as to whether or not, but our team certainly will be feeding in to those discussions.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the prime minister of being “weak” as he insisted Labour has not “smashed the gangs” as promised.

“I saw for myself just last week hundreds of illegal immigrants departing a French beach while the gendarmes Shabana Mahmood is paying for stood by and did nothing,” he said.

"The Conservative plan is to leave the ECHR so all illegal immigrants can be deported with a week of arrival. If Andy Burnham was serious he would do this - but he’s too weak."

Meanwhile, home secretary Shabana Mahmood visited NCA headquarters in Stratford, where she said she was “laser-light focused” and will do “whatever it takes” to secure the country’s border

Speaking to reporters on Sunday afternoon, Ms Mahmood said: “I think the most important thing that people need to hear from their home secretary is that I’m doing whatever it takes to secure our border.

“And that is what I’ve been absolutely laser-light focused on from the moment I became the home secretary, taking all of the measures that I know are needed in order to secure our border.”

Asked about why 2,000 people had crossed the Channel in small boats since Prime Minister Andy Burnham took office on July 20, Ms Mahmood said the NCA’s work was having an “impact”.

“That’s why we’re doubling the number of NCA officers because we know that this is the work we need to do in order to secure our border,” she said.

She also said the number of deaths of people crossing the Channel had been “normalised”.

She said four migrants had died trying to cross the Channel in the last few days, describing each of those deaths as a “tragedy”.