Priti Patel challenged on Labour net migration win as she refuses to disown the Boriswave

Priti Patel was challenged on Labour’s halving of net migration by Camilla Tominey, who questioned why the Tories failed to do so during their time in Government.

Speaking to the GB News host, the Shadow Foreign Secretary also refused to disown the infamous so-called Boriswave the previous administration had presided over.

Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration at 171,000 in the 12 months leading up to December 2025, a 48 per cent year-on-year drop to the lowest level since early 2021.

This was in stark contrast to the 944,000 figure in the year ending March 2023.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson, from whom the term Boriswave was coined, and his Conservative successors went on to grant 3.8million long-term visas, leading to net migration of 2.6million people.

Dame Priti served as a Home Secretary from July 2019 to September 2022, prompting Camilla to question her on the apparent disparity.

“How on earth has it come to pass that a Labour government has managed to bring migration down, where the Tories failed?”

“You need to recognise the fact that those measures were introduced in 2024 under a previous conservative government,” the Shadow Foreign Secretary shot back.

“You and I know that it takes time for those measures to work through the system, and that's led to the reduction in numbers, and that's on legal migration.

“Labour has done nothing,” she insisted, adding: “They've done absolutely nothing to address the real issue, which is illegal migration.

“Under Keir Starmer, 77,000 people have come to the United Kingdom illegally in small boats. If you also look at those migration figures, you will see that there's no change to the number of people seeking asylum in our country.

“If you look at those figures, you'll also see that there are British nationals who are leaving the country thanks to the policies of this Labour government.

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“We can all slice and dice migration statistics in any way, but the reality is, these were measures brought in back in 2024.

“Obviously, now we're seeing those changes come through the system, and that is to be welcomed. There is a hell of a lot more that needs to be done,” Dame Priti stressed.

“I'm still confused about your position on the Boriswave,” Camilla cut in.

“You were previously asked whether you regretted that 944,000 figure that's associated with 2023, part of a wider 3.9million wave, and you said you didn't regret it.”

Responding, Dame Priti reiterated her praise of Labour’s migration measures but declined to disown her party’s own when in Government.

“I want it quite clear that times have changed, and we have to have new measures and new policies. Policies of the past are not applicable to today.

“That is why my party has been crystal clear about leaving the ECHR, because, quite frankly, that does impact legal and illegal migration.

“But fundamentally, there is more that needs to be done. And the Conservative Party have the policy worked out. Unlike Labour, which does not have well-worked-out policy solutions to tackle migration, legal or illegal, in the long run,” she stressed.

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