‘What was it all for?’ Fury as small boat crossings hit grim milestone on Dunkirk anniversary

"It stands in contrast. The bravery and selflessness of those individuals who put their lives at risk and some paid the ultimate price," Mark said.

"They went across the Channel and rescued our standing army as well as our French colleagues from the onwards advance of the Nazis."

He added that today's crossings show individuals "circumventing our borders and border controls and in many respects gaming the system to try to get to the UK."

Saturday's arrivals pushed the total number of migrants who have made the illegal journey from France this year past 14,000.

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GB News can confirm that hundreds more migrants were reported to be in French waters, potentially making it a record day for crossings in 2025.

Criminal people smugglers launched boats from beaches around Dunkirk and Calais on Saturday morning. Multiple border patrol vessels and lifeboats from both France and the UK were called to respond to the migrant boat sightings.

The surge followed an improvement in weather conditions after strong winds in the Channel had prevented small boat crossings over the past week.

The 14,000 figure represents a 32 per cent increase from the almost 10,500 migrants who had crossed by the same point last year. White warned that the current trajectory could see 2025 exceed previous records.

"We are about 33 per cent at least ahead of where we were at this point last year, it's an all time record since the start of this crisis beginning in 2018," he said.

"If we continue on this trajectory, we will easily exceed the 45, almost 46,000 who passed in that record year of 2022."

The analysis suggests the ongoing border control challenges could result in the highest annual total since small boat crossings began in significant numbers.

The latest surge in migrant arrivals followed an improvement in weather conditions after strong winds in the Channel over the past week had prevented small boat crossings.

Criminal people smugglers pushed boats out from beaches around Dunkirk and Calais on Saturday morning, around the same time as the commemorative flotilla set off to return to the UK.

GB News understands that the flotilla's return journey has not been interrupted by Saturday's migrant boat activity in the Channel. Earlier this month, the commemoration flotilla was briefly halted and diverted to allow another migrant boat passage to the UK.