Channel small boat migrants poised to prime 30,000 since Labour got here to energy, as Tories accuse PM Sir Keir Starmer of ‘betraying the British public’

The number of Channel small boat migrants to have reached Britain since Labour came to power is on the cusp of topping 30,000.

There were scores of arrivals in Dover this morning after UK Border Force vessels intercepted dinghies in the middle of the English Channel.

Official Home Office figures show that up to yesterday there had been 29,884 arrivals since the General Election on July 4 last year.

With further operations thought to be underway in the strait it is thought today’s total will be more than 100 extra arrivals, bringing Labour’s total to the very brink of 30,000. 

The number of crossings in the equivalent period from July 2023 to April 2024 – when the Tories were still in power – was 23,439.

It means Labour has overseen a 28 per cent leap in arrivals. 

One of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer‘s first acts in office was scrapping the Conservatives‘ Rwanda asylum scheme, which had been designed to deter migrants from crossing the Channel in the first place.

An inflatable dinghy carrying migrants across the Channel towards Britain last August

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘Keir Starmer has betrayed the British public by losing control of our borders.

‘His pledge to “smash the gangs” lies in tatters.

‘He cancelled the Rwanda deterrent before it even started, with no plan in place, and now illegal immigrants are flooding into the country.’

Mr Philp added: ‘Starmer needs to develop a backbone and immediately implement a removals deterrent.

‘It’s the only way we can stop these boats.

‘This total loss of border control is catastrophic for our country.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, right, is shown a surveillance video of people smuggling gangs during a visit to Le Touquet, France, in February

‘Starmer should hang his head in shame.’ 

UK Border Force vessels brought scores of people to the port of Dover this morning aboard its catamarans BF Typhoon and BF Hurricane.

It came after a week-long hiatus which saw no arrivals due to 30mph gusts in the Channel. 

After cancelling the Rwanda programme the Government has placed an emphasis on law enforcement measures against the human trafficking gangs.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has also dedicated more resources to removing foreign nationals who do not have the right to be in the UK, including foreign national offenders.

Since the start of this year 6,642 migrants have reached Britain by small boat, not including today’s unconfirmed number.

It is 22 per cent higher than the 5,435 who came here in the same period last year.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp today accused PM Sir Keir Starmer of ‘betraying the British people’

Official data published in February showed asylum claims have surged under Labour to hit more than 108,000 last year – the highest number since records began in 1979.

The biggest increase came in the second half of 2024 – following the general election – when more than 61,383 asylum bids were lodged, compared with 50,352 during the same period in 2023.

The annual total – an 18 per cent year-on-year rise – smashed the previous record set during the early 2000s asylum crisis by five per cent.

Asylum claims are made not just by new arrivals but also by foreign nationals who may have been in Britain for years.

The Home Office was approached for comment.