Sir Keir Starmer’s “smash the gangs” policy has suffered a major setback as the number of small boat migrants has passed 40,000 this year.
The milestone figure was reached today as another 700 Channel migrants made the illegal journey from France.
Saturday’s surge in crossings follows almost a month of no crossings because of poor weather conditions.
GB News can exclusively reveal that across Saturday, people smugglers launched a dozen migrant boats from French beaches and river tributaries.
Just after 10.30am, the Border Force vessel Hurricane arrived at Dover Harbour with the first group of migrants to arrive at the Kent port in 28 days.
GB News Kent producer counted 140 people as they were led off Border Force Hurricane and taken to the migrant processing centre at Dover harbour.
The news of a fresh surge in Channel migrants comes as some Labour politicians and supporters hailed the lack of any arrivals for weeks as an indication the Government’s “smash the gangs” policy was beginning to work.
Before this morning’s boat launches, the lack of any Channel migrant arrivals was the longest sustained period of inactivity since 2018.
Some 40,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year
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Tristan Osborne, the Labour MP for Chatham in Kent, posted on the X platform: “A long way to go for sure…But finally, we are seeing the heavy work paying off.
“Under Labour, the longest stretch without boat crossings since the Conservatives’ surge started.”
Maritime security sources have told GB News the lack of any migrant arrivals over the past month was a “definite result of bad weather conditions”.
One source said: “It’s certainly been an unusually long spell without small boat activity.
Migrants have been so far unable to make the dangerous crossing due to poor weather conditions
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“But the winds are at the root of this. Not only have they mainly been too strong for the migrant dinghies to make headway, they’ve also often being blowing in the wrong direction.
“It’s a mistake to conclude it’s the war on people smugglers that’s making the impact on crossings.
“Today is the perfect illustration of what we have been expecting for some time. The second the winds ease enough to allow crossings, the people smugglers are back out there in force.”
The figure of more than 40,000 Channel migrants so far this year is well ahead of the 36,816 who crossed in the whole of last year.
GB News Kent producer counted 140 people as they were led off Border Force Hurricane
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However, the past month of bad weather is likely to mean the Government will be spared the further embarrassment of an all-time record number of migrant crossings by the end of this year.
That record currently stands at 45,755 at the end of 2022.
A Home Office spokesman said: “The number of small boat crossings is shameful and the British people deserve better.
“This Government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
“The Home Secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.”