GB News national reporter Charlie Peters has said it is "hardly a surprise" that some migrants are exploiting "one of the weakest points" in UK national security, warning that the new Labour government will find the migrant crisis "particularly tricky" to resolve.
Appearing on the channel's breakfast show on Saturday August 2, days after 60,000 migrants broke into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Morocco, Peters told hosts Anne Diamond and Stephen Dixon that the UK has been "eight years now into a massive migration crisis with the small boats, which is not being stopped and people are coming to that position from all over the world."
Ceuta border storm
The border crossing in Ceuta saw several fires reportedly started amid violent clashes after thousands of migrants stormed a boundary between the two countries on Thursday, July 30. Peters said the crisis should concern Britain.
"The nationalities involved in making those crossings are varied and do involve many from North Africa. There are so many smuggling routes into the country," he said. "What we are seeing now with these land and sea crossings is the very savvy faciliators of these movements finding another method in [to the UK] potentially wtih state support."
'Particularly tricky' for Burnham
Peters warned that the involvement of hostile states could make the situation harder for Prime Minister Andy Burnham. "That's when it will be come particularly tricky for the Labour government and Andy Burnham," he said. "How they will begin to prevent these flows of migrtants from all around the world towards the United Kingdom if they also have the added concern of hostile states being involved in moving them?"
He referred to reports alleging Iran may be exploiting the small boats route into Britain. "We heard reports last week... about the Iranian regime exploiting this weakness," he said.
"It's hardly a surprise that those who wish to do us harm are focusing on one of the weakest points in our national security. [That] is our inability to prevent people, for the best part of a decade, from illegally breaking into the country by just pushing a boat towards out [UK] waters!" he exclaimed.
Record crossings and deaths
Peters' remarks came as the Home Office confirmed 752 people arrived on Wednesday July 29 – an average of 84 people per boat – as smugglers smashed the record daily total this year. Four people died trying to reach the UK that same day.
