Several of today’s newspaper front pages cover the illegal crossings yesterday as more than 1000 people crossed the channel. It marks the biggest crossing of 2025 so far. Most of the papers pick up on the comments made by the Defence Secretary who says it’s “pretty shocking” when asked about French police failing to intervene and says that Britain, over the past five years under both Conservative and Labour governments, has lost control of their borders.
Metro picks up on a Labour minister’s comments to Sky News in which he said “We’ve lost control,” in response to the news of the growing number of migrants crossing the channel over the past five years – under both Conservative and Labour governments.
This headline uses loaded language (“We’ve lost control”) to create fear and urgency. It emphasises conflict and failure, framing the issue as a crisis. Quoting a Labour minister suggests internal party weakness, potentially swaying public opinion against Labour on immigration.
“Boats arriving like taxis” claims the Express which similarly quotes the defence secretary who said “small boat smugglers are running a ‘taxi’ service across the Channel.”
This headline uses a simile (“like taxis”) to trivialise and dramatise the crossings, suggesting ease and lawlessness. The phrase “loses control” implies government incompetence, reinforcing a crisis narrative. It uses emotive language and focuses on numbers to stir public concern and urgency.
Daily Telegraph says ff the 2024 election was in part a rebuke of the Conservative Party’s total failure to control migration, 2029 is shaping up to be a far more painful experience for the Labour Party. The PM may have hoped his immigration white paper, coupled with the fall in net migration triggered by the last policies put in place by the outgoing Tory government, would buy him breathing space until the salience of migration fell again, and he would be freed to talk about other topics.
This headline and subheading use blame framing, holding Labour solely responsible. Terms like “mass” and “spiralling” are exaggerative, heightening alarm. It links immigration to economic strain, a common tactic to provoke public resentment and reinforce us-vs-them narratives.
The Independent nearly 1,200 migrants arrived in the UK on Saturday, crossing the English Channel from France in small boats, new government figures have revealed. The Home Office confirmed that 1,194 migrants made the journey in 18 boats, capitalising on settled weather conditions. This marks the highest number recorded on a single day this year, bringing the provisional annual total to 14,811.
This headline uses authority appeal (a minister’s admission) to reinforce the loss-of-control narrative. Highlighting a large number (“1,200”) adds shock value, while blaming French police shifts partial responsibility abroad—a scapegoating tactic. The tone suggests government failure and rising tension.
LBC says It’s the biggest daily total so far in 2025 – with British and French rescue services forced to deploy 11 vessels and two aircraft. The previous record for this year was 825. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the events as a “day of shame” for Labour, adding that maritime rescue services are “overwhelmed”. Earlier on Saturday, the coastguard had to issue an urgent appeal for the help of fishing boats due to being occupied rescuing migrants.
This headline uses personalisation (“Starmer ‘loses control'”) to directly blame the Labour leader, reinforcing a narrative of weak leadership. Quotation marks around “loses control” imply accusation or criticism. The precise number and mention of “small boats” add emotive detail to heighten the sense of crisis.
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