Border Force vessel Volunteer brings 120 to Dover at 6am as French escorts guide at least THREE more boats towards Britain in ‘absolute disaster’ for Labour
More than 15,000 small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel so far this year, as hundreds more were attempting the perilous journey today after a week-long break due to poor weather.
In dramatic scenes at Dover harbour this morning, the Border Force vessel Volunteer arrived at 6am carrying 120 migrants who had been picked up from two small boats in the Channel.
But that was just the beginning of another chaotic day on Britain’s frontline, with GB News reporting that at least THREE more migrant boats were spotted in the Channel heading towards UK waters, being escorted by French border patrol vessels.
The shocking milestone means crossings are running at 42% HIGHER than at the same point last year – a damning indictment of Labour’s promise to “smash the gangs” and secure Britain’s borders.
‘Absolute disaster for Labour’
One senior maritime security source told GB News: “This is an absolute disaster for Labour’s border security policies.
We’ve been shown a number of successes recently, in terms of the National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies making numerous arrests of suspected people smugglers.
“But the fact is, we’re not seeing the gangs smashed, we’re seeing all previous records for migrant crossings being smashed.”
Record-breaking crisis
The grim statistics paint a picture of a border crisis spiralling out of control:
- 15,000+ migrants have already crossed in 2025
- Running 42% higher than last year’s figures
- 95% of arrivals immediately claim asylum
- Crossings reached 10,000 before the end of April – more than a month earlier than 2024
- 2025 heading for ANOTHER record year with projections of 85,000 crossings
£8 MILLION A DAY cost
The financial burden on British taxpayers continues to soar, with the crisis now costing the country:
- £8 million per day to house asylum seekers in hotels
- Nearly £3 BILLION annually in accommodation costs alone
- Total annual cost estimated at £3.5 billion by Policy Exchange think tank
- Equivalent to 73,000 A&E visits every single day
Today’s Channel chaos
As dawn broke over the English Channel, people smugglers took advantage of a brief break in the stormy weather to launch multiple boats from French beaches.
GB News’s Kent producer reported from the scene: “At least three more migrant boats are in the Channel heading towards the UK, and being escorted by French border patrol vessels.
The calm conditions that allowed today’s crossings are expected to deteriorate again this evening, but smugglers were determined to cash in while they could.
Dover overwhelmed
The scale of today’s arrivals has left Dover’s border infrastructure struggling to cope, with sources revealing that at times:
- Dover lifeboat had to be called in to assist
- EVERY available Border Force vessel was tied up with migrant boats
- French patrol vessels were actively escorting boats towards UK waters
- Multiple boats were arriving simultaneously
Labour’s failed promises
The latest figures represent a catastrophic failure for Sir Keir Starmer’s government, which came to power promising to tackle the small boats crisis.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted: “Britain’s borders are being torn apart under Labour. This year is already the worst on record for small boat crossings after over 15,000 illegal immigrants arrived in Britain, but Labour just sit on their hands.
He added: “Labour scrapped our deterrent before it even began and replaced it with nothing. Now, crossings are surging, extremists and criminals are slipping through the net, and British taxpayers are picking up the bill.”
French ‘escorts’ controversy
In a revelation that will enrage British taxpayers, GB News has exposed how the French Navy has been ordering Britain’s Border Force to return life jackets loaned to migrants during crossings.
Audio recordings reveal French warships arranging the “return” of life jackets, with Border Force’s Typhoon telling French officials: “We can arrange to return your life jackets. Can you confirm how many are on board?”
Who’s coming?
The nationalities crossing have shifted dramatically over time:
Current top arrivals (Q1 2025):
- Vietnamese: 20%
- Afghans: 19%
- Iranians: 11%
- Turkish nationals: Rising sharply
- Albanians: Dropped 93% after returns deal
Gangs rake in millions
People smugglers are charging desperate migrants between £3,000 and £6,000 per crossing attempt, with criminal networks making millions from human misery.
The gangs often use:
- Stolen boats for crossings
- Overcrowded dinghies designed for 8 people carrying 50+
- Children and pregnant women as “insurance” against turnbacks
- Sophisticated networks spanning multiple countries
Record days becoming routine
The crisis has seen multiple record-breaking days in 2025:
- 1,194 arrivals on June 1 – the highest single day so far
- 700+ arrivals on April 15
- 656 arrivals in one Saturday
- 623 arrivals on April 12
Six months of failure
Since Labour took power, the statistics tell a story of complete border collapse:
- Over 23,000 migrants have arrived since the General Election
- 36,816 crossed in all of 2024 – up 25% from 2023
- The crisis has now seen over 160,000 illegal arrivals since 2018
- Total numbers equivalent to the population of Oxford
Weather window chaos
Maritime sources warn that people smugglers are becoming increasingly desperate to exploit any break in the weather:
The people smugglers have taken advantage of slightly better weather conditions today to send migrants across,” one source revealed. “But the weather is due to deteriorate with high winds which will make any journey even more treacherous.”
Deaths at sea
The dangerous crossings continue to claim lives, with the International Organization for Migration reporting more than 250 deaths in the Channel since 2014.
Despite the risks, smugglers continue packing unseaworthy boats with:
- Up to 70 people in boats designed for 8
- No safety equipment beyond basic life jackets
- Inadequate fuel for the crossing
- No navigation equipment
Home Office response
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 and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.”
What happens next?
With projections suggesting 2025 could see 85,000 crossings – matching the total from 2018 to 2022 combined – pressure is mounting on the government to act.
Options being considered include:
- Reinstating a deterrent similar to the scrapped Rwanda scheme
- Increased cooperation with French authorities
- Enhanced surveillance of French beaches
- Tougher sentences for people smugglers
But as today’s scenes in Dover demonstrate, whatever the government is currently doing simply isn’t working.
As one exasperated Border Force officer put it: “We’re not controlling our borders – the smugglers are.
Image credit: Dover White Cliffs 8 by Immanuel Giel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
