It was a fiery night on BBC’s Question Time when the conversation turned to the ongoing crisis in the English Channel.
What started as a discussion on border control quickly spiraled into a heated exchange after a Labour minister made a claim that didn’t sit well with the audience—or the facts.
Labour Minister Sparks Backlash With Migrant Claim
Darren Jones, Labour’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury, told the audience that “the majority” of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats were “women, children, and babies.”
The crowd wasn’t having it.
Groans and gasps broke out immediately, with people shaking their heads in disbelief.
Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf quickly jumped in, calling out Jones for what he said was flat-out misinformation.
“More than 90% of these people are adult men,” Yusuf shot back, drawing applause from parts of the audience.
The Facts: Who’s Really Coming Over?
Data from the Home Office backs Yusuf’s rebuttal. In 2024, 73% of those who arrived in small boats—around 27,000 people—were adult males.
That’s a far cry from Jones’ emotional narrative of babies and women fleeing danger.
Host Fiona Bruce put Jones on the spot, asking if he really stood by his statement.
He doubled down, saying he knew it was “controversial” but insisted on highlighting individual stories—like one dinghy filled with women and children who suffered burns from boat oil and saltwater.
Reform UK Doesn’t Hold Back
Yusuf wasn’t moved by the sentiment.
“This Government is putting foreign nationals ahead of British citizens,” he said.
He also slammed the practice of housing migrants in hotels or turning local homes into multi-occupancy residences, particularly in struggling communities like Runcorn.
He argued that local people had “no say” in these decisions, and blamed both Labour’s Yvette Cooper and contractors like Serco for placing migrants in overwhelmed areas without proper community input.
Jones Responds Online Amid Growing Criticism
Later that evening, Jones took to X (formerly Twitter) to “clarify” his position.
He admitted that most small boat arrivals were men—but not “north of 90%” as Yusuf claimed.
He explained that his on-air comments were based on a specific case involving women and children and argued they were now being misrepresented.
He also defended Labour’s recent £280 million funding pledge for a new Border Security Command and criticized Reform for allegedly voting against giving law enforcement stronger tools to stop human smuggling gangs.
Reeves Promises Reform—But Critics Aren’t Convinced
Labour’s Rachel Reeves recently vowed to end the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers by 2029 and promised to save £1 billion by streamlining the asylum process.
But critics were quick to point out a contradiction: despite the promise, Labour’s budget documents show they still plan to spend £2.5 billion per year on asylum support by the end of the decade.
Currently, about 30,000 asylum seekers are staying in roughly 200 hotels across the UK.
The government is now considering alternatives, including repurposing empty student housing and tower blocks.
Clashes Continue in France as Migrant Numbers Break Records
Meanwhile, the chaos isn’t just in Westminster.
Across the Channel, French police are using tear gas and pepper spray to stop hundreds of migrants trying to board boats to the UK.
Some officers have even waded into the water to pull people back to shore.
Still, a significant number are slipping through.
As of June 13, 14,812 people have made the crossing in 2025—the worst start to any year on record.
That number beats the previous six-month high of 13,489 set last June.
UK Government Doubles Down on Crackdown Plans
The UK Government says it’s ramping up its fight against smuggling networks.
They’ve launched a new Border Security Command and are pushing a bill that would give police and intelligence agencies more powers—similar to anti-terror laws—to target smugglers.
They’re also funding elite patrols along the French coast and setting up intelligence units in places like Dunkirk.
But critics argue none of this will matter without a strong enough deterrent to stop people from making the crossing in the first place.
No Clear Answers, Just More Divides
Back in Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s office avoided directly addressing whether Jones was wrong, simply repeating that the focus remains on “tackling the vile gangs.”
When asked whether the PM still supported Jones, the spokesperson answered, “Yes.”
But not everyone agrees.
Conservative MP Chris Philp slammed Jones as “out of touch,” warning that spreading misleading narratives about women and children only fuels public mistrust and weakens the response to what he called “the worst year on record” for small boat arrivals.
What’s Next?
With migrant numbers hitting record highs and political tensions growing, the UK’s immigration debate is far from settled.
As policies are debated and pledges are made, the one certainty is that the public wants transparency—and action.
Whether either party can truly deliver that remains to be seen.