Migrant crisis: More than ONE THOUSAND small boat migrants have crossed Channel since Labour election victory

Until today, a total of 758 migrants had made the journey since Keir Starmer’s government came to power on 5 July, promising to smash the people smuggling gangs.

Monday’s arrivals take the number of Channel migrants to cross since the general election to 1,128.

A slight improvement in weather conditions saw almost 250 arrivals over the previous four days.

Just after 8am today, the Border Force vessel Defender arrived in Dover harbour with the first group of 44 migrants.

By early afternoon, a further six small boats had crossed into UK waters.

Border Force vessels picked up a total of 326 people, who were taken to the migrant processing facility at Dover harbour.

Today's arrivals take the total number of migrants who have made the illegal crossing since the start of the year to 14,702.

That figure is 9 per cent higher than the numbers arriving at this point last year.

One of Sir Keir Starmer's first acts since taking power was to scrap the previous government's Rwanda deterrent scheme.

The Prime Minister said millions of pounds would be diverted from the Rwanda scheme to help bolster a new Border Security Command.

That Command brings together Border and Immigration officers, the National Crime Agency and the intelligence services, with the specific aim of going after the criminal people smuggling gangs.

However, security sources have told GB News any move to dismantle those criminal networks is likely to be "longer term in its scope" and there are "no guarantees" the new focus on dismantling the smuggling operations will pay off.

Despite a recent run of poor weather in the Channel, conditions are likely to improve significantly over the height of the Summer, with many more migrants expected to attempt the illegal and dangerous journey.

In the early hours of last Friday morning, four migrants drowned after their small boat got into difficulties and partially deflated near the French port of Boulogne.