THE Government was last night accused of a “pathetic attempt” to blame the weather for record numbers of Channel crossings.
Data on how conditions have affected small boat migration over the past three years will be published today for the first time.
PALabour have tried to blame the weather for record numbers of Channel crossings this weekend[/caption]
Earlier this year Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said smuggling gangs’ operations means ‘our border security ends up being dependent on the weather’
It is expected to show a higher number of “red days” — where calm seas and sunshine make for smoother crossings — on Sir Keir Starmer’s watch as PM.
Anger over relentless arrivals has intensified after almost 1,200 migrants made the journey in a single day on Saturday.
More than 14,811 have crossed from France this year already — the most in the first five months of any year since the crisis erupted in 2018.
Projections show up to 50,000 could arrive by the end of 2025 in what would be a record year.
Earlier this year Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said smuggling gangs’ operations mean “our border security ends up being dependent on the weather”.
The 20,000 illegal migrants that arrived between Labour’s election win last July and December is expected to feature a high number of red days.
But ahead of the publication, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed it as a “pathetic attempt to blame the weather for their total loss of border control”.
The PM’s spokesman said: “As the Home Secretary has said before, we have to get to a position where the level of crossings is not reliant on the weather.
“That means breaking the hold that these criminal gangs have established over this trade, and breaking the link between crossings and the weather.”
Addressing the mounting fury at the record rate of illegal migration, Sir Keir said: “You have every right to be angry about small boat crossings. I’m angry too.
“We are ramping up our efforts to smash the people-smuggling gangs at source.”
Yesterday The Sun told how Defence Secretary John Healey had admitted that Britain has “lost control of its borders”.
The Sun is campaigning to fix Britain’s broken borders Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
