In prepared remarks, the King said: “Our security seervices and police will go further still to protect us against the profound challenges of terrorism, organized crime, cyber attacks and of course irregular migration.”
Charles' comments after new data has drawn attention to the impact of illegal immigration on the UK.
According to recent analysis by GB News, foreign nationals who arrive from the channel via baot are significantly more likely to end up in prison than the average British citizen.
Based on figures cited from census data and criminal justice records, 0.18 percent of those in the UK holding only a foreign passport were in prison as of March 2025, compared to 0.14 percent of British citizens. The disparity becomes eeven more obvious when focused on the top countries of origin for small boat migrants—including Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania, and Iran—with one analysis suggesting they are 24 times more likely to be incarcerated than the general population.
As of July, more than 15,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025 alone, putting this year on track to be the worst on record. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blamed the surge in crossings on Labour’s handling of the border.
“15,000 illegal Channel crossings and it’s only June. 2025 is the worst year ever for small boat crossings so far,” he told GB News. “While traffickers and criminal gangs rake in millions, Labour Ministers stand in Westminster rehearsing soundbites. This is a total collapse of border control. How many more records does Keir Starmer need to break before he finally admits his plan is failing? He should never have scrapped the removals deterrent the previous Conservative Government put in place.”
Philp added that only the Conservatives had a "serious, deliverable plan" that includes bypassing European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) obstacles, setting an annual cap on migration, and enhancing deterrence.
Between 2019 and 2023, close to one million people arrived in the UK from abroad under Conservative leadership.
