The total number of migrants to have reached Britain since the start of the Channel crisis is poised to pass an eye-watering 200,000.
The grim milestone looks set to be passed today, after more than 400 arrivals on Sunday brought the running tally to 199,828.
Official data published by the Home Office showed the huge number of small boat migrants have arrived in the UK since the first recorded crossing on January 31, 2018.
The 200,000 migrants are equivalent to the population of a city the size of Norwich.
There were 422 arrivals yesterday aboard six dinghies which were intercepted mid-way in the Channel by UK Border Force and brought in to Dover.
It came after Saturday witnessed 325 crossings and Friday saw 55.
UK Border Force catamaran Defender has already been in operation in the Channel today and is brought scores more migrants ashore – in addition to the confirmed total.
Official totals for today will not be published until later – but it is likely to push the total past the 200,000 mark.
Scores of migrants who had been picked up by Border Force mid-Channel then disembarked onto the dockside at Dover
At the end of 2018 the then home secretary Sajid Javid declared a ‘national emergency’ when the migrant crossings began to become more frequent – even though by the end of the year fewer than 300 had arrived.
Last month Labour confirmed British taxpayers are to hand the French up to £660million for small boat patrols, pushing the total paid since the start of the crisis past £1.3billion.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood agreed to give Emmanuel Macron’s government a ‘core package’ of £500million – spread over the next three years – to continue funding anti-migrant operations by French police.
A further £160million will also be handed over to fund new tactics by the French including stopping dinghies once they are already in the water.
A previous three-year, £500million deal was agreed in 2023 by then Conservative PM Rishi Sunak and during the lifetime of the agreement more than 84,000 migrants reached Britain.
It was part of £658million in security payments given to France since 2018, a report by the House of Commons Library has set out.
Last year saw 41,472 migrants reach Britain, the second-highest annual total since the start of the crisis.
More migrants have arrived under Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure as Prime Minister than under any other PM, with 71,932.
Sir Keir surpassed the previous high of 65,800 under Boris Johnson in February this year.
