Migrants being offered a £2,000 discount if they post footage of their crossing on social media has been compared to a "Tesco meal deal" by GB News host Alex Armstrong, as he delivered his scathing verdict on the revelation.
The videos are then used by smugglers to advertise their services and lure more people into making the dangerous journey.
GB News host Alex Armstrong has slammed the practice, saying: "This is like a Tesco meal deal for migrants. They get a discount for coming over here and are literally flaunting the fact that they're breaking our borders."
Alex Armstrong was outraged at migrants being offered discounted rates to film themselves crossing the channel illegally
GB News / TikTok
Hitting out at the latest "embarrassment" for Britain in failing to tackle to growing migrant crisis, Alex fumed: "This is getting ridiculous. It's costing the taxpayer billions of pounds, it's costing our country.
"It's an embarrassment for our country really to not be able to control our borders, and it's such a small strip of sea."
Highlighting the welfare of the migrants making the crossing over the Channel to Britain, Alex stated that many illegally entering Britain are already "safe in France", and are simply "risking their lives" by making the journey.
He told his GB News panel: "The reason for becoming a refugee and seeking safe shelter is to escape harm. When you're in France, you're not at harm, are you?
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Migrants have reportedly been offered up to £2,000 discount to film their own journeys
GB News/TIKTOK"France isn't at war. Germany is not at war. Italy is not at war. So why risk your life to come to the UK?"
The standard cost for Channel crossings ranges between £1,500 and £6,000 per person.
By filming their journey and posting it online, migrants can receive a significant discount of up to £2,000.
This financial incentive represents "another layer of exploitation by smugglers", according to experts.
Alex told the GB News panel that the migrants are 'safe' in France
GB News
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has been working to combat this trend by removing social media content promoting crossings.
Last year, the NCA triggered the removal of more than 8,000 social media accounts - up from 5,600 in 2023.
Since November 2021, nearly 18,000 social media accounts, pages and posts have been removed through the agency's work with social media companies.
These takedowns accounted for almost half of all accounts advertising people-smuggling services.
