The UK’s migrant crisis is “music to Nigel Farage’s ears,” according to political commentator Benedict Spence, as small boat crossings continue to rise under Labour.
Speaking to GB News, Spence questioned how large Farage’s “cigar stash” might be given the current situation.
The UK has now passed the milestone of 10,000 small boat migrants crossing the Channel illegally in 2025.
This significant figure was reached on Monday morning when the Border Force vessel Hurricane arrived in Dover harbour carrying 71 migrants.
Benedict Spence said that this must be “music to Nigel Farage’s ears”
GB NEWS
According to GB News provisional analysis, approximately 10,150 small boat migrants have crossed since the beginning of the year.
The 10,000 mark has been reached nearly a full month earlier than in 2024, when that number wasn’t recorded until 24 May.
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Benedict Spence told GB News: “We’re just front loading the entire thing so much faster than the Tories were.
“I often wonder, sort of on days like today, I wonder how large Nigel Farage’s cigar stash is because with upcoming polls. This is just going to be music to his ears.
“He barely has to come up with any policies at all he just needs to sit back and watch Labour fail to get to grips with what they said, that they’d be able to do so much better than Conservatives.
“It’s one thing to be able to turn around and say, well, we’re deporting more people than the previous government did, or at the very least, we’re doing it at a faster rate. That’s fine.
“But if the numbers are going up at the same time and the people you’re deporting are not the ones coming across the channel so flagrantly in the small boats.
“People are still going to sort of raise their eyebrows and go, what on earth is going on here?”
He added: “I mean, on the subject of potential pacts with Reform UK, I can’t see what’s in it for Reform, especially given what happened with Farage’s previous enterprise as the Brexit Party and UKIP.
“I don’t see how that would be in his interests. He doesn’t need to right now. As I alluded to, he’s not really done anywhere near as much hard work as as one might have expected.
Nigel Farage is the leader of Reform UK
PA
“An insurgent party would need to overcome the Conservative party. He’s reeled them in and he’s left them behind. They’re not a threat until they changed their leader.
“I think that Kemi Badenoch, in saying that she is venturing or the prospect of saying that there could be a pact is showing how weak actually her party is at this moment.”
Current figures show crossings are more than 40 per cent ahead of the same point last year. This represents a major setback for the Prime Minister’s pledge to “smash the gangs” facilitating illegal migration.
Five small boats made the crossing on Monday in almost flat-calm conditions in the Channel. The calm weather has led to a fresh surge of small boat launches.
More migrants are expected to attempt the illegal crossing over the next two days as favourable conditions persist.
