More than 1,000 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday – the highest daily total so far this year – forcing British and French rescue services to deploy 11 vessels and two aircraft to deal with the surge. And the revelation has prompted Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp to claim: “Labour have failed on every front, and Britain is paying the price.”
At least 18 boats launched from the French coast carrying migrants attempting the dangerous journey, pushing the number of arrivals on Saturday above the previous 2025 record of 825 set earlier this month, reported the Telegraph. The surge means more than 14,600 people have made the crossing so far this year – a rise of over 30% compared with the same point in 2024, and the highest figure for the first five months of any year since small boat crossings began in 2018. Mr Philp said: “Over a thousand illegal immigrants in a single day, boats flooding the Channel, Border Force stretched beyond breaking point, and even fishing vessels drafted in because our maritime rescue services are overwhelmed. A nation reduced to chaos on the high seas while Keir Starmer hides behind platitudes and process.
“Labour has completely lost control of our borders. Their pledge to smash gangs in tatters. They scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even began and now the boats won’t stop coming.
“So far, this is already the worst year on record. Labour have failed on every front, and Britain is paying the price. This is a day of shame for Labour.”In one case, Coastguard officers were forced to issue a radio appeal asking fishing boats to assist with a yacht and several kayaks in distress, as every available Border Force and RNLI vessel was already occupied with rescuing migrants from the 18 dinghies in the Channel.
Two patrol aircraft, four out of five Border Force boats, and seven French vessels – including Abeille Normandie, Ridens, Oyapock and a warship – were scrambled alongside two UK lifeboats as the crossings began early Saturday morning.
The dramatic scenes unfolded as French police looked on from beaches near Gravelines while groups of people, believed to be migrants, boarded boats and pushed off for England.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has blamed favourable weather conditions for the increase, pointing to the higher number of “red days” – periods of calm weather that make crossings more viable.
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