More than 700 migrants crossed the Channel in 11 small boats yesterday, meaning a total of 24,335 people have been detected making the journey so far this year.
Home Office figures show 707 people were detected coming across on Saturday — one of the highest daily figures this year.
It follows three days where no crossings were detected at all.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick alleged individuals linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda were among those who had arrived in the country.
He said at least 1,000 people who arrived on small boats up until the end of 2022 were ‘connected to criminality of all kinds’ and had arrived claiming to be refugees.
Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said: ‘In the year before I was immigration minister, more than a dozen known terror suspects crossed the Channel on small boats. By now, that figure is well into the dozens.’
The total figure is up 1 per cent on the number of people who made the crossing by this time last year, but is down 20 per cent on 2022.
British Border Force officials escort migrants into Dover Docks in Kent,
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.