Labour has been accused of “shamefully failing” to tackle illegal immigration after more than 600 people crossed the Channel by small boat in a single day.
Home Office figures revealed 609 migrants reached Britain in near-freezing conditions on Thursday, marking the highest number recorded in a single December day since data collection began in 2018.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called it “a day of shame for Labour”, pointing out that crossings have increased by 18 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“They cancelled the Rwanda deterrent before it even started. If they had allowed those Rwanda flights to start as planned in July, illegal immigrants would not bother attempting to cross,” Philp said.
Chris Philp has hit out at Labour over the new figures
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The total number of migrants crossing since Labour came to power has reached just over 21,000.
A Downing Street spokesperson responded to the criticism, stating: “This is the chaos that this Government inherited.”
“We put in place a serious, credible plan to bring order to the asylum system by smashing the smuggling gangs through our new Border Security Command, tackling the problem upstream with greater international collaboration and ramping up returns of those with no right to be here,” they added.
The provisional total for small boat crossings this year stands at 34,582. While this figure is higher than the 29,090 people who had crossed by this time last year, it remains lower than the 48,821 recorded in the same period during 2022’s record-breaking year.
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Migrants crossing the Channel (file pic)
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The frequency of crossings typically slows during winter months due to harsh weather conditions.
Maritime security sources have indicated that recent law enforcement activities have caused “relatively minor boat supply issues, at best” in tackling the crisis.
GB News has revealed that more than 35,130 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, with at least 250 people making the journey in five small boats on Saturday morning. Over 1,150 migrants reached UK waters in just the past three days, following a week-long pause due to poor weather conditions.
One source told GB News that crossings would likely have been even higher if weather conditions had been more favourable.
Yvette Cooper is travelling to Italy to meet her counterparts
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The latest arrivals have pushed the total number of small boat migrants since Labour came to power in July to more than 21,500.
The current year’s figures are running 21 per cent ahead of the 29,090 who had crossed at this point last year. UK officials recently joined counterparts from Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands for a meeting of the Calais Group in London.
The group agreed to a series of commitments to tackle people smuggling gangs in 2025. Germany has pledged to tighten its laws to make it easier to prosecute people smugglers enabling Channel crossings, as part of a new deal between the UK and Berlin.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to travel to Italy this weekend for further talks on irregular migration.
