They're NOT listening Rishi! The TRUTH of today's extraordinary migrant crossing numbers EXPOSED - Mark White

Rwanda is the central pillar of Sunak's Stop the Boats policy, a plan to process asylum claims there, which he believes will act as a key deterrent to those crossing the Channel.

But it's clear, for now at least, they're not listening Rishi.

The timing could not have been worse. Yesterday, the very day the Home Office decided to tell us they'd begun a massive nationwide operation to detained those asylum seekers earmarked for Rwanda, many hundreds more crossed the English Channel.

In fact, it was a record day for small boat arrivals on Wednesday, as 711 Channel migrants made the illegal crossing in 14 boats.

That means more than 2,000 have crossed from France in little more than a week.

The total for the year so far has now reached 8,278, 34 per cent higher than the year before.

Those arrivals have now effectively cancelled out the gains made last year, when the Home Office announced Channel migrant numbers had dropped by a third.

Last year, ministers claimed the reduction was due in no small part to Rishi's Stop the Boats policy.

This year, they tell us the reason for the increase is the surge in the number of Vietnamese migrants being tempted by the criminal gangs to cross.

Whatever the truth of that, it's clear that Rwanda has not yet provided the deterrent ministers are hoping for.

Of course, they will no doubt argue that migrant flights to east Africa haven't taken off yet, and it would be unfair to judge the success of a policy until its fully operational.

But these are the same ministers remember, who just this week, suggested concerns over Rwanda were already driving many migrants over the Northern Irish border into the Irish Republic.

You can't really argue the policy isn't yet being felt by those planning to come here, while suggesting its responsible for mass movement of others determined not to be sent to Africa.

I've been in the migrant camps along the northern French coast more times than I care to remember.

What I can tell you is that those migrants are well plugged into the latest political debate beyond the white cliffs of Dover.

Just after Boris Johnson announced the Rwanda policy more than two year ago, I visited three camps in France.

The migrants there were clearly worried about their chances of ending up in east Africa.

Over the years, concern has given way to amusement at the never ending saga across the Channel.

None that I've spoken to lately believe there's any chance they'll be sent to Rwanda.

It's up to Sunak in the months ahead to ensure those flights get off the ground, to ensure large numbers of asylum seekers are on board those flights, if he wants to stand any chance of changing that mindset.