Nearly 500 migrants cross English Channel on small boats in a single day – as Labour hunts for new border boss
FIGURES revealed nearly 500 migrants crossed Channel in small boats on Saturday – as Labour hunts for a new border boss.
The latest statistics show that 492 people made the crossing, in nine boats.
It comes after 935 arrived throughout last week, with 703 just on Sunday, as reported by Sky News.
This is the highest number of daily crossings since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister last month.
Figures show the highest number of arrivals recorded in a single day so far this year was 882 on June 18.
Since Keir Starmer’s landslide victory almost 5,000 more people have snuck into Britain illegally via the Channel.
Labour has axed the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan and will instead let migrants go through asylum processing to get the right to stay.
Meanwhile, new Home Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed to “go after criminal smuggler gangs” by launching a Border Security Command taskforce.
It was reported the party is in the “final stages” of recruitment for the boss of their new team.
The person chosen to lead Sir Keir Starmer’s crackdown on people-smuggling gangs will be paid between £140,000 and £200,000 — depending on experience.
And nearly 100 people have moved into the command HQ based in the Home Office.
They are working on analysis of the gaps in our current border security.
Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “Six weeks, and still no sign of Labour’s phantom border command, or a single gang smashed.”
But Labour sources said the past six weeks saw the lowest number of arrivals over the same period since 2020.
A Labour spokesperson responded: “The Tories left utter chaos in our immigration and asylum system.
“They spent hundreds of millions on their Rwanda gimmick which only ever sent 4 volunteers and neglected our border security.
“A Labour government is replacing gimmick with grip, with a new Border Security Command, which will draw on hundreds of specialist investigators to go after the evil criminal smuggling gangs undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.
“This Command has now been established in the Home Office and will scale up in the coming weeks.”
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