This Weather Excuse is Getting Ridiculous

By HOAR Team 2 June, 2025 4 mins read 103 Views

Listen. I've been covering politics for twelve years now, and I thought I'd seen every pathetic excuse in the book.

I was wrong.

Labour just hit a new low yesterday, trying to pin record-breaking Channel crossings on... wait for it... the weather. Yeah, you read that right. Nearly 1,200 migrants crossed in a single day on Saturday, and apparently it's because the sun was shining too brightly.

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The Numbers Don't Lie (Even When Politicians Do)

Here's what actually happened: More than 14,811 people have already made the crossing from France this year. That's the highest number we've ever seen in the first five months since this whole crisis kicked off back in 2018. My mate at the Home Office (who's probably updating his LinkedIn as we speak) told me projections show we could hit 50,000 by December. That would smash every previous record.

But sure, let's blame the weather.

The government's planning to publish data today showing how many "red days" we've had - that's their fancy term for when calm seas and sunshine make crossings easier. Apparently, there were loads of these perfect-weather days during the 20,000 arrivals between Labour's election win last July and December. What a coincidence, right?

Yvette Cooper's Weather Report

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper actually said earlier this year that smuggling gangs mean "our border security ends up being dependent on the weather." I had to read that quote three times. Are we seriously admitting that our entire immigration policy hinges on whether it's raining in Calais?

God, imagine explaining that to voters in Hartlepool.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp didn't hold back, calling it a "pathetic attempt to blame the weather for their total loss of border control." Harsh? Maybe. Accurate? Definitely feels like it.

When Politicians Get Angry (Or Pretend To)

Sir Keir tried to sound tough yesterday: "You have every right to be angry about small boat crossings. I'm angry too." Then he trotted out the same old line about "ramping up efforts to smash people-smuggling gangs at source."

We've heard this song before. Different verse, same tune.

The PM's spokesman doubled down on the weather narrative: "We have to get to a position where the level of crossings is not reliant on the weather." Translation: We're stuck blaming Mother Nature because we've got no other ideas.

Britain's Broken Borders (And Broken Excuses)

Yesterday, Defence Secretary John Healey accidentally told the truth, admitting Britain has "lost control of its borders." At least someone's being honest about the mess we're in.

But here's what really gets me - this weather excuse isn't just politically tone-deaf, it's insulting to anyone with half a brain. Criminal gangs don't take weather reports into account when they're planning their next shipment of desperate people across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. They operate when they think they can get away with it, regardless of whether it's sunny or cloudy.

The real issue? We've created a system where checking the forecast has become our primary border security strategy.

That's not governance. That's just embarrassing.

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