UK Border Force and French patrols are responding to small boat sightings in the English Channel on Sunday, ahead of an anticipated surge in illegal arrivals on Monday.
Just after 11.30am, the Border Force vessel Volunteer arrived in Dover harbour with the occupants of a migrant dinghy that made it to UK waters.
GB News counted 55 people as they disembarked the Volunteer and were taken to the Border Force migrant processing centre in Dover.
Another migrant boat is currently in French waters and attempting to reach the UK.
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Maritime security sources have told GB News that authorities in France and the UK are braced for multiple attempted crossings on Monday, as winds in the Channel ease off later today.
Almost 600 migrants have already arrived in the UK over the past five days.
On Friday, 116 small boat migrants crossed the English Channel, making it the third day in a row for activity, as criminal people smugglers take advantage of an improvement in the weather.
Several French and UK border patrol vessels are responding to the sighting of up to five migrant dinghies.
Border Force respond to migrant boats in the Channel ahead of a likely surge in crossings on Monday | GETTY
More than 4,000 Channel migrants have arrived in the UK since the beginning of the year.
Keir Starmer has overseen more small boat arrivals than any other Prime Minister, with more than 66,000 crossing the Channel in his first 19 months in power.
The Prime Minister surpassed Boris Johnson’s 65,784 figure in almost half the amount of time, with the former Tory leader needing 39 months in No10 to reach the grim milestone.
More than 41,474 completed the perilous 21-mile journey in 2025 alone, with an extra 23,242 migrants arriving on British shores during Sir Keir’s first six months in power.
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More than 4,000 Channel migrants have arrived in the UK over the Channel since the beginning of the year
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On Friday, Britain's border chief quit after failing to bring down the number of small boat migrants crossing the Channel.
Martin Hewitt, who was appointed to the post by the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, is expected to leave his post at the end of the month.
“There was a view that the objectives were not being met, and there needed to be a tighter, more defined operational focus,” an insider revealed.
Mr Hewitt had staked his stint as border chief on reducing the number of arrivals on British shores.
Keir Starmer has overseen more small boat arrivals than any other Prime Minister
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Speaking during a visit to Tunisia in 2024, the outgoing border chief said: “Because that is absolutely clear to me from the Prime Minister, from the Home Secretary and I’m sure from the Foreign Secretary.
“That’s what my job is here to try and deliver. So that’s absolutely, that is the measure.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “We would like to thank Martin Hewitt CBE QPM for his dedicated leadership since the creation of the Border Security Command.
“Over the past 18 months, the Border Security Command has brought government agencies, law enforcement and international partners together to tackle people smuggling gangs, as well as seeing the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act into law.”
Shabana Mahmood has recently set out her plan to dissuade migrants from making the journey
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The Home Secretary recently set out her plan to dissuade migrants from making the 21-mile journey.
Shabana Mahmood wants asylum claims to mean refugee status only becomes temporary.
Failed asylum seeker families will also be offered payments of up to £40,000 to leave the UK under the new plans.
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