Rishi Sunak is facing an immigration nightmare this morning as new figures show yesterday was a record high for illegal small boat crossings in 2024.
514 migrants crossed the English Channel yesterday, a new daily high.
The latest influx brings 2024’s total to over 4,000, which is 10 percent higher than this time last year.
Despite the ongoing crisis, the Government announced today that the Rwanda Bill will now not return to the House of Commons until April 15th following the Lords’ defeats yesterday.
The upper chamber dealt seven defeats to the Government yesterday afternoon, with majorities of between 30 and 50 Peers.
Following the defeats, Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti – a lead Rwanda rebel – claimed they leave Mr Sunak’s credibility “even more denuded”.
Following the Bill’s return to the Commons on April 15th, it will then go back to the Lords on April 16th and pingpong back to the Commons if the Government suffers yet more defeats on the 17th.
Rishi Sunak promised the “emergency legislation” in November, following the Supreme Court ruling against the Government.
Responding to today’s small boat figures, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson told the Express that the Commons’ Easter Recess must be cancelled to speed up the lawmaking process.
Mr Anderson blasted: “Recess should be cancelled and Parliament should sit until this mess is sorted out”.
“We are being outwitted by a bunch of criminals smuggling people across the Channel in broad daylight.”
Columnist and former UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn warned: “The boats are coming faster than they did last year”.
“Far from making progress, Rishi is in reverse gear.”
Yesterday’s crossings also witnessed a shocking incident as a migrant arrived in a dinghy suffering stab wounds.
The migrant, intercepted in the Channel, was attacked on a French beach before making the crossing, according to British police.
The force was called to Dover shortly before 1pm yesterday, before he was taken to a hospital in Kent for treatment.
A Kent Police spokesman said: “At 12.52pm on Wednesday 20 March, Kent Police received a report of a man with injuries consistent with stab wounds, following the arrival of a small boat at Dover Western Docks.
“The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment and has since been discharged.
“He has reported that he was assaulted on a beach near Calais by two men who then stayed in France while he made the crossing to the UK.
“Details of the incident are being passed to authorities in France for further investigation.”
