Politics · 27 September 2026
More small boat arrivals under Labour than trained regular soldiers
David Dixon via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Conservatives say 83,279 people have arrived by small boat since Labour took office in July 2024, more than the Army's 70,760 fully trained regulars in April. Reform UK posted the claim on Saturday using an 83,000 Army figure that counts all full-time personnel. Arrivals are falling, with about 27,900 in the year to 9 September, the lowest yearly total since 2021.
Reported by Ministry of Defence · How we write briefs