Hundreds of illegal migrants arrive in Dover on small dinghies from Calais – making this year the second highest on record for boat arrivals

• Since crisis began in 2018, last year had the highest number with 45,774 arrivals 

Eye-witnesses said they saw at least seven boat-loads being brought back to Dover by Border Force patrols throughout yesterday (sat), as migrants crossed the Channel despite the freezing weather.

This year became the second highest on record despite Rishi Sunak’s pledge to reduce the number of boats arriving in Britain, for which he handed half-a-billion pounds to the French government to better police its beaches in Northern France.

Since the migrant boat crisis began in 2018, last year had the highest number of migrants reaching Britain, with 45,774 arrivals on dinghies.

The second highest on record was 2021, with 28,526 arrivals. But this year is now set to overtake 2021, as an estimated 28,653 have reached Dover, if yesterday’s figures are included.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, during freezing conditions from a Border Force vessel on December 2

This year became the second highest on record despite Rishi Sunak ‘s pledge to reduce the number of boats arriving in Britain. Pictured, people brought to Dover in a Border Force vessel on December 2

Yesterday, Border Force cutters were deployed before dawn to pick up migrants in the middle of the English Channel, under extremely poor visibility due to the fog. The boats kept on arriving, with the last one arriving just before 6pm, said an eye-witness.

Last night, Labour criticised the Government’s efforts to stop the boats, which has been one of Mr Sunak’s key pledges since becoming Prime Minister.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘Rishi Sunak claimed he would stop the small boats this year but instead this weekend’s figures are set to make it the second highest year of crossings on record.

Since the migrant boat crisis began in 2018, last year had the highest number of migrants reaching Britain, with 45,774 arrivals on dinghies (Pictured: Migrants in Dover)

‘The Tory asylum chaos is continuing, and he has broken another promise he made to the British people.’

But a Government source said: ‘Crossings are down by a third in a year. They are trending downwards – whereas across Europe they are going up.’

The source added that Labour is ‘getting a free pass’ on their illegal migration policy.

He said: ‘Their plan to stop the boats is to do in the future what we have already been doing, and which is having results.’

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