CHANNEL crossings hit a new yearly high as nearly 600 illegal migrants arrived from France on Sunday.
Sunny weather saw a surge in small boats over the weekend just days after Yvette Cooper pledged millions more to tackle smuggling gangs.
Small boat crossings have hit a high for the year so far[/caption]
Some 592 made the dangerous journey in just 11 vessels, marking the busiest day since last December.
It takes the total for 2025 to 2,716 – just above the 2,255 for this time last year when the Tories were in power.
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told The Sun: “This is a total disgrace, Labour have lost control of our borders. It was a catastrophic mistake to cancel the Rwanda plan before it even started.
“The French must start intercepting small boats in French waters, and the government must set up a returns scheme so that anyone crossing the Channel illegally is removed immediately – no ifs, no buts.”
Responding to the latest figures, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “When it comes to migration, this Government is focused on taking the practical steps to deal with the chaos of the asylum system that we inherited from previous Government.
“That’s why we set up the new Border Security Command. It’s why we have surged resource to deliver enforced returns, which are now up 24 per cent.”
“We’re taking the measures that will ultimately deter and smash people smuggling gangs.”
Home Secretary Ms Cooper met with her French counterpart Bruno Retailleau in Calais last week to see the work being done to stop boats.
Britain and France signed a £500million deal in 2023 to police the beaches and build a detention centre that has still not been constructed.
Mr Retailleau also signalled that French cops would start intercepting migrants in shallow water, whereas currently they are not allowed to.
Since taking office last July, Labour claim to have ramped up deportations of foreign offenders, although the majority have left voluntarily.
Just three per cent of small boat arrivals have been removed since the crisis took off in 2018.
And despite Labour pledging to end hotel use, the number in rooms rose from 29,585 at the end of June to 38,079 at the end of 2024 – costing around £4.5million a day.
Meanwhile asylum claims were up 18 per cent last year at 108,000, surpassing the previous 2002 record of 103,000.
But the proportion being granted fell from 67 per cent in 2023 to 47 per cent last year in a sign processors are getting tougher.
