Migrant crisis: More than 20,000 small boat migrants have crossed English Channel so far this year

That took the provisional total for the year to 19,983.

Now GB News can confirm the grim milestone figure of 20,000 was crossed at 2am today when another Border Force vessel arrived into Dover harbour with 60 migrants on board.

By 8am, two more Border Force vessels, Defender and Ranger, docked at Dover with another 71 migrants on board.
Another three small boats are currently in the Channel attempting to reach UK waters.

If all make it to UK waters, it will take the number of Channel migrant arrivals for the year to more than 20,250.

That figure is a staggering 50 per cent more than the 13,489 who arrived in the UK at this point last year.

The latest figures will make for miserable reading for the Prime Minister in the week he marks his first year in office.

Next week, he is expected to reveal a new deal with the French, during Emanuel Macron's state visit to the UK.

The deal is expected to pave the way for a partial returns agreement, where the French would take some small boat migrants back, for a UK pledge to take a fixed quota of migrants from elsewhere in France.

The deal has already been branded a gimmick by opposition politicians, who claim it will do nothing to break the model of the people smuggling gangs.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

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"The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

"That is why this Government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage."

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "One year into Labour’s Government and the boats haven’t stopped - they’ve multiplied.

"Labour tore up our deterrent and replaced it with fantasy. This is the worst year on record, and it’s become a free-for-all.

"We need a removals deterrent so every single illegal immigrant who arrives is removed to a location outside Europe. The crossings will then rapidly stop.

"People are furious - and rightly so. Under new leadership, only the Conservatives have a credible plan to stop the crossings, restore control, and end the chaos."

Despite optimism in Britain about the "one in, one out" migrant deal with France, other European countries are understood to be frustrated over the plans.

Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus, argue the deal will result in having to take back people from the UK.

A letter sent to the European Commission last week by opposing members of the bloc strongly opposes the proposals and claims that the "initiative raises serious concerns".

It read: "We take note — with a degree of surprise — of the reported intention of France to sign a bilateral readmission arrangement.

"If confirmed, such an initiative raises serious concerns for us, both procedurally and in terms of potential implications for other member states, particularly those of first entry."

Under the plans, which is intended to "send a clear message" to others planning to make the journey, Channel migrants would be sent back to France within weeks of their arrival.