Labour has taken the blame for Channel migrants arriving at record speeds under Keir Starmer.
Baroness Smith of Malvern- who's serving as Minister of State for Skills - admitted the Government "hasn't managed to tackle" Channel crossings by migrants as the number of arrivals into Britain tops 50,000.
Figures show 474 small boat migrants arrived on Monday alone.
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It brings the total figure since Sir Keir Starmer came into power in July, 2024, to 50,227.
The milestone has been reached seven months faster than under the Prime Minister's Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak - despite Labour's promise in its manifesto to "smash the criminal boat gangs".
On Sunak’s 403rd day in office – the point at which 50,000 was reached for Starmer – some 36,079 migrants had arrived in small boats.
Labour former home secretary Baroness Smith of Malvern, branded the number "unacceptable".
While she admitted the Government had failed to get a grip on the number of arrivals, she didn't admit fault by her party.
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|The number of small boat arrivals has topped 50,000 since Starmer came into power
Baroness Smith told Sky News: "This is a problem that has, up to this point, we haven’t managed to tackle in terms of the numbers who are coming here.
"But it is a completely legitimate claim to say that is happening is the result of the last government who chose to focus on gimmicks, through the Rwanda scheme which returned four volunteers."
She added: "We’re taking responsibility. I don’t believe it was our fault that it was enabled to take root in the way in which it has done by a Government who failed to do what was necessary at that point that this Government has been doing for the last year."
Baroness Smith told BBC Breakfast: "It is an unacceptable number of people.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the number of small boat arrivals was "extraordinary", adding that "everything is getting worse under Labour".
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|Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the number of small boat arrivals recorded under Starmer was 'extraordinary'
"Keir Starmer promised to smash the gangs. He hasn't done anything at all," Badenoch said.
Speaking to GB News on Tuesday, the Tory leader said a solution was needed to asylum hotels, suggesting detention centres or camps as possible alternatives.
"We need to have something specially set up, whether it's camps or detention centres and there's no point saying it's going to be expensive, it's expensive having them in hotels.
"[It should be] less comfortable, but also, more importantly, keep our community safe.
"Nobody should have to change where they jog or where they work, because the government has plonked an asylum centre there."
Earlier this month, the Government began detaining migrants under a new “one in, one out” deal with France.
UK officials aim to make referrals for returns to France within three days of a migrant’s arrival by small boat, while French authorities will respond within 14 days.
An approved asylum seeker in France will be brought to Britain under a safe route as part of the exchange.
Badenoch however said the scheme "isn't going to work".
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|Migrants attempting to board a small boat in France
"What we’re seeing is a lot of local communities having to pay the price and bear the brunt of the Government’s incompetence," she commented.
A Home Office spokesperson said in an earlier statement: "Through international intelligence sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in Northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt, and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders."