Provisional Home Office figures show 33,973 people have arrived in the UK after making the crossing so far this year.

More than 600 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats on Thursday in the busiest December day on record. The 609 people made the crossing in nine dinghies, bringing the total of small boat arrivals so far this year to 34,582, up from 29,090 in 2023 but 23 per cent down on 2022.

There were 50,637 arrivals during Rishi Sunak’s 20-month premiership, which began on October 25 2022. It took around eight-and-a-half months for migrant crossings to top 20,000 after Mr Sunak became prime minister.

The UK had its busiest December day on record for migrant crossings on Thursday, with more than 600 people making the dangerous journey across the Channel.