UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Danny Kruger, former right-hand of ex-PM Boris Johnson, says he must take responsibility for post-Covid “Boriswave” surge, urging stricter policies.
As reported by The Independent, Boris Johnson has been accused by his former right-hand man of triggering the post-Covid surge in legal migration after “opening the borders.”
Danny Kruger, who defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, has praised Boris Johnson for leading Brexit, even calling him his “hero.”
What did Danny Kruger say about Boris Johnson and the ‘Boriswave’ surge?
Danny Kruger said Boris Johnson, who stood down as PM following the Partygate scandal, should take responsibility for the “Boriswave,” a term coined by Nigel Farage to label the post-Covid rise in legal migration.
The comments follow Boris Johnson denying Nigel Farage’s claim that he caused the “Boriswave,” after post-Brexit rules pushed net migration to a record 906,000 by June 2023.
The former PM attributed the rise in migration to the war in Ukraine, the relocation of Hongkongers, and EU students returning after completing their courses.
Mr Kruger, East Wiltshire MP who served as Boris Johnson’s political secretary before joining Parliament as a Tory MP in 2019, stated,
“The great achievement of Brexit and why I believe Boris Johnson is a hero is that we did take back control over our borders, our laws, our money and I think that was a tremendous achievement. We should always be grateful to Boris.”
He said,
“The problem is having taken back control of our borders, he then essentially threw them open to the rest of the world and so we have restricted European migration while inviting migration from elsewhere. I’m afraid, yes, he does have to take responsibility as the leader of the government that did that for what we call the “Boriswave.”
Mr Kruger said in 2023 that Mr Johnson, his former colleague up to the 2019 Conservative election, regarded him as “one of the ones…having abandoned him.”
As head of Reform’s “preparing for government” department, Mr Kruger said tackling mass immigration would be a central policy for the party.
He explained that the party aims to review the cases of migrants who arrived during the “Boriswave,” including plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain. The party suggests the plan would end welfare for non-British citizens, potentially saving over £200bn,
Mr Kruger stated,
“We have millions of people who have come to this country and who are now on route to have essentially permanent rights of settlement here through indefinite leave to remain.”
He added,
“It’s that scheme that we are determined to scrap, not just for the future but for the people who are currently here on with ILR status, because those are the people who came in thanks to Boris and who will in future have to demonstrate that they are making a positive contribution, that they can speak English [and] they’re not reliant on welfare if they are to stay.”
The proposal to end indefinite leave to remain has faced backlash from charities and policy groups, warning it could disrupt care work and force thousands of migrants to reapply for UK residency every five years.
What did Boris Johnson say about the ‘Boriswave’ and immigration policies?
Boris Johnson defended his record on migration, rejecting accusations over the post-COVID “Boriswave.”
He held former PM Rishi Sunak responsible for inaction on illegal migration to Rwanda, while urging Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to revive the plan.
Mr Johnson stated,
“My mandate was to take back control and that’s what I did. I also think that Rwanda was the right policy. Rwanda was the only way to get people back. I don’t know why we didn’t implement Rwanda. Why did we go to the country before we got that done?”
He said,
“It was a mistake. That was and is a very good policy, it would have fixed the small boats thing. If you look at what Starmer is doing – that would have got it done.”
Mr Johnson continued,
“I left office in 2022. The government then had two years to run. And in that period, I’m afraid, absolutely nothing was done to point out what we’d already achieved: the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, coming out of lockdown faster than any other European country, delivering Brexit in its entirety, helping to protect the independence of a free European country. Nobody said anything about that because they were all too busy campaigning on compulsory maths A-level and banning cigars.”
Shabana Mahmood’s views on Britain’s border control
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will warn on Wednesday that Britain has lost control of its borders, undermining public trust in politics.
Describing the impact of small boat crossings, she will say they risk undermining “the credibility of the state itself.”
Ms Mahmood will say,
“The public rightly expect that their government will be able to determine who enters their country, and who must leave. Today, in this country, and I know in many if not all of yours, that is not the case. And the failure to bring order to our borders is eroding trust not just in us as political leaders … but in the credibility of the state itself.”
Key facts about the illegal migrants in the UK
In 2025, over 33,500 people arrived in the UK by small boats, the fastest pace since records began in 2018. Small boats accounted for 88% of all irregular crossings.
The most common nationalities were Afghanistan (15%), Eritrea (14%), and Iran (10%). The average number of people per boat reached a record 65 in June 2025.