More migrants have been brought to shore after crossing the English Channel to reach the UK – with people traffickers taking advantage of calm summer seas to step up small boat trips.
About 70 people were seen being escorted to land at Dover in Kent by Border Force officials in the week daily crossings hit a new high level for the current government.
They added to the tally of almost 5,000 migrants making it to Britain since Sir Keir Starmer‘s Labour government took power after the July 4 general election.
It was previously revealed that 703 people crossed the Channel to the UK on Sunday – the highest number of arrivals on a single day since Sir Keir Starmer took power.
Two people also died attempting the perilous journey over the weekend.
About 70 people were seen being escorted to land at Dover in Kent by Border Force officials
They added to the tally of almost 5,000 migrants making it to Britain since Sir Keir Starmer ‘s Labour government took power after the July 4 general election
And Downing Street revealed the Prime Minister was ‘expecting’ more boat crossings this summer – assisted by the warmest weather of the year so far.
The latest arrivals come as it was claimed UK-bound migrants suffered suspected ‘punishment shootings’ in France in the latest evidence of horrific violence among organised crime traffickers.
The two teenagers were treated for leg injuries after the attack on Sunday before being released to continue their journeys from France to Britain, the Mail can reveal.
A French investigative source said the two Sudanese boys – one aged just 16 – were attacked in Calais on Sunday by a group of Afghans.
After being treated in hospital for knee and thigh wounds they refused to cooperate with police and were free to carry on attempting to cross the English Channel.
Both the injured Sudanese teenagers were caught up in the increasingly vicious gang wars involving ruthless traffickers who provide £1,000-a-head trips to Britain by small boat.
The 16-year-old was the most seriously hurt, with a gunshot wound to a knee.
The second victim, 18, was wounded in the right thigh before being found hiding about three miles away from Calais port.
Today’s arrivals come after it was revealed 703 people crossed the Channel to the UK on Sunday – the highest number of arrivals on a single day since Sir Keir Starmer took power
Downing Street has said the Prime Minister was ‘expecting’ more boat crossings this summer – assisted by the warmest weather of the year so far
Figures show how small boat crossings have topped 18,000 for the year
The Home Office confirmed 125 migrants reached the UK on Monday – bringing this year’s running total to 18,467, including 4,893 since Labour came to power.
Stopping small boat arrivals was a key issue in Britain’s general election campaign, with Sir Keir vowing to ‘smash the gangs’ responsible for the crossings.
When asked on Monday whether whether Labour was failing to stop the boats as effectively as the previous Tory administration, Sir Keir’s spokesman said: ‘I wouldn’t agree with that.
‘We know this summer is a challenging time and we expect to see increases before we see improvements in line with that.
‘We know that it’s in these months that criminal gangs seek to exploit people, taking ever more dangerous tactics and approaches.
‘That’s why it’s vital that we work to smash the gangs responsible for that and who are risking lives in the Channel.’
The incoming Labour government has scrapped outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to fly migrants to Rwanda instead.
But the new PM’s spokesman insisted this move had not made the situation worse, saying there was ‘no link’ between ditching the scheme and the number of arrivals.
Stopping the small boat arrivals was a key issue in Britain’s general election in July and Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) had promised to ‘smash the gangs’ responsible for the crossings
More than 18,000 migrants have been detected making the crossing so far in 2024. Pictured are migrants making their way towards England in a dinghy on August 6 this year
‘Our focus is actually on getting an immigration system working that can process cases and bear down on the gangs that are driving this,’ he added.
Sir Keir and France’s President Emmanuel Macron have pledged to strengthen ‘cooperation’ in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.
The PM’s plan involves creating a new Border Security Command, bringing together existing immigration units given new ‘counter-terrorism style’ powers.
But shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly has accused Labour of sending ‘the wrong signal’ by ditching the previous Tory government’s Rwanda proposals – after figures showed small boat crossings had topped 18,000 for this year.
The former minister and Conservative leadership hopeful said the numbers showed the Government’s ‘phantom border command clearly isn’t working’.
Mr Cleverly said: ‘Since Labour have ditched our deterrent, more and more boats are crossing the channel with more and more people in them.
‘They’ve sent the wrong signal, throwing the doors open instead of doing what is necessary to stop the dangerous crossings.
‘The Government’s phantom border command clearly isn’t working. They need to get a grip and fast, otherwise the numbers will continue to climb.’
Two migrants died at the weekend after a dinghy carrying dozens of people got into difficulty in the English Channel. Pictured is a Border Force vehicle in the Channel last month
A group of people thought to be migrants – including small children – leave the beach in Gravelines, France, following an unsuccessful attempt to board a small boat on July 29
James Cleverly, pictured arriving at Westminster on Monday last week, has said the number of migrant arrivals showed the Government’s ‘phantom border command clearly isn’t working’
The highest number of arrivals recorded in a single day so far this year was 882 on June 18 and the second highest was 711 on May 1, both under the previous government prior to the general election.
The running tally is up by 13 per cent on the same point last year but three per cent lower than at this stage in 2022 which would see an annual record of 45,000 arrivals.
At the end of 2018 the then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid declared a ‘national emergency’ as migrant boats began to cross from continental Europe.
Since then, more than 132,000 migrants have reached Britain.