More than 40,000 migrants have now attempted the dangerous channel crossing from England to France since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, figures show.
Home Office figures also revealed 401 people made the journey in seven boats on Monday, the highest number recorded in a single day for 2024 to date.
Meanwhile, footage shows at least 20 people packed into a dangerously-low-lying dinghy which was making the perilous journey across the English Channel.
The video footage shows the packed boat moving slowly through the water while other cross-Channel vessels watch on.
They were later picked up by a Border Force vessel and taken to a migrant processing centre in Kent on Monday.
At least 20 migrants were pictured in one boat attempting to make the crossing across the channel
The boat is seen bobbing up and down in the English Channel on Monday
The dinghy was later picked up by a Border Force vessel which was patrolling the English Channel
On Sunday, 327 migrants crossed the Channel in eight boats, meaning 728 people were recorded arriving within 48 hours.
Border Force vessels were seen bringing men, women and children asylum seekers into the Port of Dover in Kent throughout the day – beginning shortly after dawn.
Migrants were also seen disembarking the Border Force vessels at the immigration processing centre in the port.
The latest crossings take the provisional total number of UK arrivals so far this year to 2,983.
The second highest daily total recorded to date in 2024 was 358 migrants arriving on January 17 in eight boats.
It comes as Home Secretary James Cleverly hosted a meeting in Brussels where Britain and France agreed to lead a new customs partnership in a bid to disrupt the supply chain of boats being used to make Channel crossings.
Downing Street also insisted the Government’s efforts to curb Channel crossings were making a difference.
Asked whether the latest agreement will change anything, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘Yes. The UK and France have agreed a new customs partnership to disrupt the supply chain of small boats materials.
‘That obviously builds on the work that we already do to prevent small boat launches from northern France.’
Latest Home Office figures show 401 people made the journey in seven boats on Monday
More than 40,000 migrants have arrived in the UK in small boats since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister
The latest crossings take the provisional total number of UK arrivals so far this year to 2,983
Number 10 stressed the UK’s joint work with France is ‘already delivering’, with more than 26,000 crossing attempts prevented in 2023 at an interception rate of 47 percent.
Asked whether Mr Sunak is sorry for being unable to deliver on his pledge to stop the boats, his spokesman said: ‘The PM is focused on making further progress to reducing small boat crossings.’
The Prime Minister previously warned the unelected chamber against frustrating ‘the will of the people’ by hampering the passage of his Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which has already been approved by MPs.
Number 10 refused to say whether the Government has found an airline to undertake the deportation flights but insisted it is confident it will have the logistics in place should the scheme get go-ahead.
It comes after Mr Sunak insisted his Rwanda deportation scheme, which is central to his pledge to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats, was a ‘worthwhile investment’.
The remarks came after the public spending watchdog disclosed the cost of the policy could soar to half a billion pounds.
In a revelation branded a ‘national scandal’ by Labour, the National Audit Office (NAO) said the plan could cost taxpayers nearly £2 million for each of the first 300 asylum seekers sent to the east African nation.
The Home Office had so far refused to say how much more money, on top of the £290 million already confirmed, the UK has agreed to pay Kigali under the stalled plan but a NAO report uncovered millions more in spending including £11,000 for each migrant’s plane ticket.
Speaking during a visit to Scotland, Mr Sunak told reporters: ‘The current situation is unsustainable and unfair.
More than 40 people can be seen in this image captured on Saturday in one boat – with the real number of those on board likely to be higher
Despite the dinghy already appearing full, at least 32 men, women and children could be seen trying to reach it before it set off
Rishi Sunak is pushing forward with his Rwanda deportation scheme as a solution to the growing number of crossings
‘Taxpayers are already forking out millions of pounds a day to house illegal migrants in hotels across the country, that’s not right. That’s why I made stopping the boats one of my priorities.
‘I’m pleased that we’ve made progress, last year the numbers were down by a third.’
He continued: ‘In order to fully resolve this issue we need to have a deterrent. We need to be able to say if you come here illegally, you won’t be able to stay, we can remove you to a safe country.
‘That’s why the Rwanda scheme is so important. It’s a worthwhile investment and I’m determined to see it through.’
Meanwhile, on Sunday, a seven-year-old girl died while travelling with her family when their dinghy capsized with 16 people on board in a canal 20 miles inland near Watten, northern France.
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