MORE than 150,000 illegal migrants have arrived on small boats in the last five years — enough to fill a town the size of Blackpool.
On Boxing Day, 407 people made the journey in ten boats, while pictures suggest crossings continued into yesterday.
Combined with 451 arrivals on Christmas Day, the total since 2018 has now hit 150,243 — surpassing the populations of Blackpool and even Cambridge.
The milestone heaps huge pressure on Labour, with more than 22,000 arriving since Sir Keir Starmer’s party took power in the summer.
It sparked accusations of inaction after the new Government axed the Rwanda deportation plan and instead pledged to crush the smuggling gangs driving the crossings.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted the move as a disaster, calling it a green light for migrants to flood in over Christmas.
He said: “We have been let down again by Labour.
"Their Christmas gift to the British public appears to be uncontrolled and unlimited illegal immigration.”
“It was a terrible mistake for Labour to cancel Rwanda before it even started. That’s why crossings are up 20 per cent since Labour came in.
“The Government must urgently restore a Rwanda style removals deterrent."
Mr Philp called on France to follow Belgium’s lead and start intercepting boats at sea and sending them back.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice added it is “only getting worse under Labour”.
He added: “They must start putting British people first and stop letting our borders be controlled by the weather.
“Reform UK would pick up and return boats to France under maritime law. It’s simple — but Labour lacks the backbone to act.”
This year alone, 35,898 migrants have crossed the Channel, up 22 per cent on the same period last year, though still 22 per cent lower than 2022’s record of 45,774.
The rise has been fuelled by favourable weather, with October and November seeing a record 26 “red days” — when calm conditions make crossings more likely.
At least 50 migrants have died attempting the journey this year, the highest toll since early 2018.
The crisis has been building steadily since then, when just 299 migrants were detected.
That December, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid cut short his Christmas break and declared a “major incident” after 40 migrants crossed on Christmas Day.
But the figures have exploded since, with 1,843 crossings in 2019, 8,466 in 2020, and a record 45,774 in 2022.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has promised tougher action against the smuggling gangs.
She said: “In 2025, we will bring forward new legislation to give law enforcement tougher powers to investigate, prosecute and disrupt organised immigration crime.
“The criminals breaching our border security need to know that they will face the full force of both the UK and international law enforcement and justice systems.”
We are increasing removals of those with no right to be here and are clamping down on illegal working
Home Office source
She also slammed the Tories for lax enforcement, highlighting that Labour has removed 13,500 people, increased workplace raids, and is set to deliver the highest return rates since 2018.
Ms Cooper said that next year, biometric kits and body-worn cameras will be introduced to quickly identify those with no right to be or work in the UK.
She added: “This is all part of this Government’s Plan for Change to strengthen our borders and fix the foundations of a broken immigration system, while also putting more money in people’s pockets and making the NHS fit for the future.”
While Labour ditched the Rwanda plan, it has previously expressed an interest in studying Italy’s deal with Albania, under which some migrants will be sent there to have their asylum claims processed.
But the agreement has faced significant challenges, with transfers recently halted by courts in Rome.
A Home Office source yesterday sought to blame the previous government for the new figures, saying: “The Tories left an appalling legacy of broken border security.
“We are fixing the foundations with a new Border Security Command, 100 new specialist investigators and new agreements with Europe and beyond to break up the business models of the evil criminal gangs making millions from small boat crossings.
"We are increasing removals of those with no right to be here and are clamping down on illegal working.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay.
“We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.”
Labour is also facing significant challenges after net migration into the UK hit a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The Office for National Statistics originally estimated it was 740,000 but revised it in early December.
By Leo McKinstry, political commentator
IMMIGRATION policy has long been a gigantic exercise in deceit.
Politicians keep promising crackdowns, yet the influx of new arrivals continues to swell dramatically.
The gap between tough words and feeble inaction is starkest over the cross-Channel trade in human cargo.
After becoming PM in 2019, Boris Johnson struck a defiant pose as champion of tough border controls.
“We’ll send you back,” he warned illegal migrants.
But that bold claim only emphasised his impotence.
Crossings maintained their remorseless increase — reaching more than 45,000 in 2022.
In Opposition, Labour mercilessly attacked the Tory Government for failing to stop the small boats.
But, despite all their talk about “smashing the gangs”, Labour’s record is just as dismal.
At least the Conservatives tried to implement their Rwanda scheme.
Labour offers nothing but tinkering.
