Education Secretary Lucy Powell has sparked intense criticism after stating that the government “can’t stop everything all of the time” in response to reports of three migrant boats reaching the UK undetected.

The comments, made during a national radio interview on Thursday morning, have fueled ongoing political controversy regarding border security and the effectiveness of the UK’s coastal surveillance.

The controversy stems from recent breaches in border monitoring, where at least three small dinghies managed to cross the English Channel and land on British shores without interception or detection by the UK Border Force. The incidents represent a significant failure of the coastal surveillance systems that have received substantial government funding aimed at curbing illegal migration.

During the interview, Powell was pressed on whether the failure of the newly installed, state-of-the-art monitoring equipment was an embarrassment to the government. Powell defended the ongoing efforts, stating: “Well look, you can’t stop everything all of the time, but we are… doing hard, difficult work that requires constant effort by our border forces, our security services, our police, our partnerships with France.”

When asked in a separate interview to guarantee that all migrants from the undetected boats had been detained and were not “on the loose,” Powell, speaking on behalf of the government, could not provide a definitive yes-or-no answer. She maintained that she was “not the Home Secretary,” but assured viewers that “all action is being taken,” and pointed to a “significant fall” in the overall number of small boat crossings this year.

Powell’s phrasing has been seized upon by political opponents and right-wing commentators, who interpret the remarks as an admission of defeat regarding border control. Critics argue the failure to detect inbound vessels not only undermines claims of improved border enforcement but also poses a severe national security risk.

In response to the breaches, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an urgent review by the Border Security Command to determine how the dinghies bypassed the radar systems. Acknowledging the severity of the situation, Mahmood stated that “even one uncontrolled landing is one too many” and deemed the undetected crossings “unacceptable.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp fiercely criticized the Labour government’s handling of the situation, describing the border as a “free-for-all.” Philp argued that the current administration “has no idea who’s coming into this country” and reiterated Conservative calls that the only viable deterrent to channel crossings is the immediate deportation of illegal arrivals to their home country or a safe third nation.