Nearly 5,000 migrants cross Channel in small boats since Starmer's election

It comes as the former head of Border Force told GB News that Labour's plans to smash the gangs will be very difficult to achieve and rely on the complete cooperation of many other countries.

Tony Smith said there was still a lot of questions around the Government's new Border Security Command, about the strength of any new powers it will have, and how it will be able to exercise those powers outside the UK.

The new Command will replace the Small Boats Operational Command, introduced under the previous Government.

Tony Smith said: "I understand there will be new legislation, new powers afforded to the Border Security Command, akin to those that we see for prevention of terrorism.

"I think my main concern is that most of the offences we're talking about are not committed in the UK. They're committed on mainland Europe and particularly in France.

"And I think that we may run into the same problems the previous government encountered in just how far will Frontex, the French authorities, the EU Commission enable British officers to exercise extraterritorial powers, even if they're entitled to do that here in the UK, under the new legislation."

The former Border Force chief said that international cooperation was vital in the efforts to confront and dismantle people smuggling operations.

"We simply can't do this on our own. We need that level of cooperation.

"I think, much will depend on what the relationship will be between the new Border Security Command and the European border Agency, Frontex.

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"I used to represent us at Frontex and operationally we all always got on very, very well with them.

"But I think there is a bigger political question about the asylum issues that pervade all member states in the EU. The very significant numbers that they have and the political will, if you like, on their part to engage with us in a meaningful way, to be able to disrupt the game.

"Operationally, we're capable but I'm not sure politically we're there, which is why I think this administration will have to do a lot more talking with the EU agencies, with Europol, with Frontex, with the EU Commission, to figure out precisely what the ground rules are going to be to enable us to disrupt this crime."

So far this year, more than 18,450 migrants have crossed the Channel illegally by small boat.

That figure is 13 per cent up on the 16,170 who crossed at the same point last year.

On Sunday, 703 small boat migrants made the dangerous journey, the biggest single day of illegal migrant arrivals since Labour came to power.

GB News filmed at the compound where the vast majority of the small boats seized by Border Force end up.

At the lot near Dover, row after row of small boats are lined up, most now deflated, and rolled up.

Many hundreds, of varying shapes, sizes and colours, have been seized over the last couple of years.

As GB News filmed, another contractor arrived to deposit the latest batch of dinghies that were intercepted in the Channel just days earlier.

The small boats storage yard is a sobering illustration of the enormity of the task facing the new Labour administration.

So far, there has been no slowdown in the number of small boat migrants crossing from France.

No one, not even the Government expects that to change anytime soon.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is on record telling the Cabinet they need to prepare for a "difficult summer ahead."