(MENAFN) UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned that Britain is losing control of its borders, with soaring illegal immigration eroding public trust in the government and the credibility of the state.

Mahmood is expected to deliver the warning at a summit with Balkan interior ministers in London on Wednesday, focused on curbing migrant flows to the UK. In excerpts of her planned speech, she states:
“The public rightly expect that their government will be able to determine who enters their country and who must leave. Today, in this country, that is not the case.”

She emphasized that solutions require international cooperation rather than isolation, suggesting measures such as creating “return hubs” for migrants.

The government recently announced that English-language requirements for migrants will rise from GCSE to A-level proficiency, reflecting broader efforts to tighten immigration standards.

Official figures show 49,000 irregular arrivals in the year ending June 2025, up 27% from the previous year, with small-boat crossings accounting for 88%—a 38% increase year on year.

Public frustration over the perceived failure of the Labour government to manage migration has sparked protests under “Operation Raise the Colours”, with demonstrators waving St. George’s and Union Jack flags.

Political fallout is evident, with support for the anti-immigration, EU-skeptical Reform Party, led by Nigel Farage, rising to 35%, while Labour and the Conservatives lag behind at 20% and 17%, according to a BMG Research poll released last month.

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