Reducing small boat crossings and preventing further deaths in the Channel is a top priority for me and the government. Numbers remain unacceptably high, and I won’t gloss over that. More action is needed and is being taken.

The reality is that this is an extremely difficult problem to solve. The criminal gangs are well entrenched and making millions from this crisis. International cooperation has been difficult to secure since Brexit terminated the existing returns agreement and soured our relationship with Europe. The world has become a more dangerous and unstable place, pushing even more people to flee their home countries.

What is needed is a serious and pragmatic approach, not more gimmicks like the failed Rwanda plan or glossy social media videos of politicians that point angrily at the problem but offer nothing in terms of real solutions.

That’s why I’m encouraged by several important developments in recent weeks.

Tougher policing approach in France

You may have seen that a new policing approach is being adopted by the French police, where boats are being punctured in shallow waters to prevent crossings. This more proactive approach I hope will end the sense of frustration people have expressed to me that the UK is contributing to French policing costs but not seeing sufficient action to prevent crossings. As a result of government diplomacy, the French will also be changing their domestic allow to allow interventions to turn boats back in shallow waters.

Ramping up of immigration enforcement and crackdown on illegal working

By scrapping the Rwanda plan – which cost £700 million without sending a single person to Rwanda – we’ve redirected funds to boost asylum staffing and immigration enforcement. This has enabled us to remove 30,000 people with no right to be here since the general election last July, including a 23% increase in enforced returns and a 14% increase in the removal of foreign criminals compared to under the Conservatives. A crackdown on illegal working has also seen a 51% increase in activity, with 10,031 visits leading to 7,130 arrests. The message is clear: if you break the rules, there will be consequences.

UK-France migrant returns deal

You may have seen this week that the UK has struck an agreement with France to pilot a one-in-one-out migrant return scheme. This is something the previous Conservative government tried and failed to secure.

Under this pilot scheme, the UK will be able to return migrants who arrive illegally by small boat directly to France, something that has been impossible since Brexit. In return, the UK will accept the same number of asylum seekers from France through a safe and legal route, focusing on individuals with genuine connections to Britain.

The deal will act as a deterrent to small boat crossings for migrants, who up until this point have known there was no prospect of them being returned to France again. It will also deter others from crossing by allowing them to apply for the legal pathway if they have a legitimate connection to Britain. This an important step forward in breaking the business model of the smuggling gangs and securing effective cross-border cooperation.

Crucially, under the scheme any asylum claim submitted by a migrant who has crossed the Channel will be considered for inadmissibility and, if declared inadmissible, the Home Office will organise readmission of the individual to France.

For those coming to the UK using the new legal route, an individual in France will submit an Expression of Interest application to the new route and the Home Office will make a decision once they have undergone biometric checks. Anyone who had arrived by small boat and returned to France will not be eligible for the legal route to the UK.

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I know and share the frustration of many of my constituents with the fact that the number of dangerous channel crossings remains high, which is why I am continuing to support the government’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which will give the police and the National Crime Agency the tough new powers they need to smash the criminal smuggling gangs.

But the truth is that there is no one simple fix to this problem – we need a combination of all these important measures to turn the tide on this problem, secure our borders, and end deaths in the Channel.

Please know that as your MP I will continue to stand up for an asylum system that is firm, fair, and fast.