'It's time they woke up!' Britain's border crisis under Labour blasted as anti-migrant activists could 'face arrest' in France

It comes as Britons now face arrest in France for engaging in anti-migrant activity, such as slashing boats on the French coastline.

GB News exclusively revealed that potential arrests include those from the Raise the Colours movement, which has carried out what it describes as 'civilian border control' or 'operation stop the boats'.

Reacting to the reports, Mr Bolton told GB News: "Look, if a French person comes to the United Kingdom and breaks the law, you would expect the British police to arrest them. They don't get a 'get out of jail free card' because they're French.

"Likewise, if a Brit goes to France, and it doesn't matter what law it is, if they break a law, they're making themselves vulnerable to arrest. And that's what the French are saying in this case."

He added: "If they're harassing people, if they're likely to cause a public order type of situation and so on, they make themselves arrestable. I'm a former police officer and I can't condone anybody doing that at all.

"But at the same time, without justifying anyone breaking the law, it is time, particularly the British Government, woke up."

Echoing the frustration felt by Britons towards the migrant crisis and its handling by successive Governments, Mr Bolton said: "For years, the British people have voted in elections. They have in every way conceivable, without absolute violence, the British people have made it known to a succession of Governments that they are sick and tired of this problem.

"And nothing decisive has been done in a functioning state, in a functioning democracy, the state will enforce the laws on its borders lawfully and decisively, and that has not happened. In fact, I would say that successive governments have evaded that problem.

"They have been throwing the dog a bone with this, and without justifying it, what we're seeing now is a form of vigilantism which is born of extreme frustration."

Warning that the issue will only become "increasingly difficult" for the Government to handle, Mr Bolton cautioned: "I've said it for years, if the Government fails to listen and act decisively on the matter of enforcing our borders, then the public at some point and the rate of immigration and let's face it, credit where credit due is due, the last Conservative Government introduced measures that have resulted in a dramatic fall, not enough yet, but a dramatic fall in legal immigration.

"But illegal immigration is still going up and nothing is being done about it. You've got stories that you've covered that is driving people to feel insecure and that the Government has got a different agenda.

"And this Government and previous Governments have failed to act. I've said for years, since 2014, if Governments do not act on this matter, it is going to become more and more difficult to put the genie back inside the bottle."

Highlighting that the French do not want to deal with illegal migrants "any more than the UK does", Mr Bolton told GB News: "We shouldn't get ourselves distracted by this, this is a symptom of Governments failing to act decisively.

"Now what we've got to do in the United Kingdom, the Government as well has got to understand that the French don't want these people any more than we do. They don't want them there."

He concluded: "And from the French perspective, I can tell you with first hand knowledge, if you speak to particularly off record to some of their senior people in the Gendarmerie and so on, they will tell you that as far as they're concerned, it is the fact that the British Government fails to address the attractiveness of the United Kingdom that the French have got this problem in the first place.

So as far as they're concerned, you're creating this problem over there in the UK, don't expect us to pick up your mess, you've got to deal with your house first."

Defending Labour's efforts, Immigration Minister Mike Tapp told GB News he was "confident" the Government was making progress.

He said: "We inherited open borders. We've seen recently sweeping changes to the immigration system to make it less attractive to come here, easier to deport and remove people, and of course, counter-terror powers to take on the smuggling gangs. And I'm confident we'll make progress".