Migrants climb into a dinghy bound for Britain (Image: PA)
Downing Street has admitted the Channel migrant crisis is getting worse as the number of arrivals since Sir Keir Starmer took office surged past 40,000.
At least 300 people crossed in small boats on Tuesday as fresh chaos erupted on French beaches.
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Some 2,000 asylum seekers are feared to have crossed in the last week alone.
Responding to Downing Street’s admission the situation in the Channel is “deteriorating”, the Prime Minister revealed that countries refusing to take back illegal migrants could face visa restrictions.
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Starmer revealed that countries refusing to take back illegal migrants could face visa restrictions (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir said he is looking to strike “transactional” deals with countries that “don’t have returns agreements with us”.
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He said: “We are looking at issues like a smarter use of our visas, looking at whether we should tie our visas to the work that the countries we are dealing with are doing on preventative measures and on return agreements.
“But do we need to do more? Yes, we do.
“And it's by working together that I think we can achieve that.”
Pressed on his plans to restrict visas for countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants, Sir Keir said: “We're looking at what we can do on returns agreements.
“We've done a number of bilateral returns agreements.
“So, the question is, again, whether it's possible to go a bit beyond that.
“But we are also looking at this question of visas now, and whether we can be a bit smarter with the use of our visas in relation to countries that don't have returns agreement with us.
“It would be a much more, sort of transactional.
“We’re looking into it, but certainly I think there are areas like that that we should look more closely at.”
The UK has struck agreements with Iraq, Albania, Vietnam and Moldova.
But many critics of Labour’s plan have pointed towards the difficulty of deporting migrants to countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Syria.
Dozens of people on Tuesday morning covered their faces as they ran for the water after riot police fired tear gas to deter them from boarding a dinghy in Gravelines.
But they were still able to reach the boat that had been followed to a pick-up point by a French marine vessel.
The migrants waited in the water for an hour, knowing the French police would not come in after them. Those who made it to the water bunched into three groups and waited for the dinghy to collect them, watched by the French police from the shoreline.
Hundreds are feared to have crossed the Channel on Tuesday, as smugglers exploited millpond-like conditions, taking the total since Sir Keir took office past the grim milestone of 40,000.
Downing Street said of a meeting between the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer and French President, Emmanuel Macron, and the upcoming Anglo-French summit in July: “Migration should be a key focus given the deteriorating situation in the Channel, they confirmed, adding that they should continue to work closely with other partners to find innovative ways to drive forward progress.”
Home Office figures show that 39,787 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour took office in July.
But this does not include those making the journey on Tuesday.
At least 300 had arrived by lunchtime, and more migrants were being intercepted throughout the afternoon.
It also takes the total number who have made the illegal crossing so far this year to more than 17,000 - 47 per cent higher than the number who had crossed at this point last year.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Starmer is right, under his watch, the Channel crisis is spiralling out of control. 2025 is so far the worst year on record with over 16,000 illegal crossings already this year – 42 per cent more than last year.
“And what’s Labour’s answer? To ask the British taxpayer to foot the bill for their accommodation or to pay half a billion pounds for the French to wave the boats off and do next to nothing to prevent Channel crossings.
“The gangs are laughing, the boats keep coming, and Labour’s response is to form another taskforce and hold a summit. It’s weak and it’s embarrassing.”
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice said: “Starmer has finally admitted what we’ve known all along—the crisis in the Channel is at an all-time high. This government has no control over it, and every day, more illegal migrants arrive on our shores.”
“Now that Starmer realises Labour has no hope of winning another election in 2029 without getting a grip on this crisis, he’s scrambling for answers.
“Under Labour’s leadership, Channel crossings are up 50% compared to this time last year. Their talk-tough, do-little approach is failing the British people.
“Only Reform UK is committed to leaving the ECHR, deporting all illegal criminals, and returning this country to its rightful owners—the hardworking British taxpayers.”
The French authorities have witnessed a surge in violence in the migrant camps of northern France in the past few days.
Some 10 migrants have been shot, two fatally, in separate incidents at a huge migrant camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk.
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And on Monday, three migrants were pulled from a boat off the French coast and transferred to hospital with stab wounds.
A source told GB News: "These camps have always been pretty lawless, but what we're seeing now is deeply worrying.
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"It all stems from this increasingly common tactic by gangs of mainly African migrants, who storm the small boats as they're launching, forcing their way on board, often using weapons to intimidate the other migrants and steal their places.
"It was always going to come to a head, and that's exactly what we're seeing now. These camps are like a warzone at times."