Channel crossings increased by more than 40% in the first quarter. On Sunday alone, 442 people reached the English coast aboard nine boats.
Since the start of the year, at least seven migrants have died at sea and on a canal while trying to reach England. Any increase in Channel crossings is likely to further weaken the Conservatives a few months before the legislative elections where polls predict an overwhelming victory for the Labor opposition led by Keir Starmer. The government's controversial bill to expel migrants to Rwanda is encountering resistance from the upper house, that of the Lords.