The UK has ‘lost control of its borders’ over the past five years, the Defence Secretary has said, after a new high for Channel crossings was hit yesterday.

John Healey blamed the previous Conservative government for failing to control the small boats crisis in an appearance on Sky News.

He described scenes of migrants piling on flimsy crafts for the dangerous crossing from France to England on Saturday as ‘pretty shocking’.

Government figures show 18 small boats arrived on British shores yesterday, carrying 1,194 people – up from the year’s previous high of 825 last month.

Pictures from the coastal French town of Gravelines showing police officers standing by as the crafts launch into the Channel have sparked fury.

In February, the government in Paris agreed to change the law so the boats could be intercepted in shallow waters.

However, the move has still not been formally implemented and just 184 of the 1,378 migrants who attempted the crossing yesterday were rescued.

Healey said: ‘They’re not doing it, but for the first time we’ve got the level of cooperation needed, we’ve got the agreement that they will change the way they work.

‘And our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation, so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore.

‘That’ll be part of, part of, I hope, dealing with this absolutely intolerable problem.’

He told Sky News: ‘Truth is, Britain’s lost control of its borders over the last five years, and the last government last year left an asylum system in chaos and record levels of immigration.’

Under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in 2023, the UK agreed to pay France £480 million over three years to help reduce the number of crossings.

Reform leader Nigel Farage claimed in a post on X yesterday that ‘well over 1,000’ of the migrants who crossed the Channel on Saturday were ‘young males’, adding: ‘Our country is in peril.’

It is unclear where he got a gender breakdown for the figures.

Yesterday, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the government’s ‘pledge to smash gangs lies in tatters’, adding that the decision to scrap the Rwanda plan was a ‘catastrophic mistake’.

He also criticised the behaviour of the French, saying the country was ‘endangering lives and breaching their international law obligations’.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump lauded a first-of-its-kind trade deal between the UK and US.

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A massive new trade deal between the UK and India could bring an end to irritating spam texts from Indian senders, the government has said.

Prices on items like clothes, shoes and frozen prawns could also drop for British shoppers as a result of the new agreement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed it as a ‘landmark deal’ which will ‘grow the economy and deliver for British people and business’.

It represents the ‘biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal’ for the UK since Brexit, according to the Department of Business and Trade.

The department said the agreement included ‘new commitments’ to ‘help protect consumers from spam texts from India’, which could mean recipients are able to opt out or give prior consent.

India is the world’s most populous country, and among the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The country’s tariffs on whisky and gin from the UK will be slashed from 150% to 75% while the tariffs on cars will fall from more than 100% to 10%.

Cosmetics, aerospace, lamb, medical devices, salmon, electrical machinery, soft drinks, chocolate, and biscuits are among the other British products that will have their Indian tariffs cut.

The announcement comes after years of negotiations, which took on a new urgency when Donald Trump introduced broad tariffs on imports to the US from every country in the world in April.

The US President also brought in 25% tariffs on car imports, putting significant pressure on the UK’s automotive industry which deals heavily across the Atlantic.

While the lowering of vehicle tariffs in the India agreement may be welcomed by the sector, it is subject to a quota.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: ‘This government’s number one mission is growing the economy as part of our Plan for Change so we can put more money in people’s pockets.

‘By striking a new trade deal with the fastest-growing economy in the world, we are delivering billions for the UK economy and wages every year and unlocking growth in every corner of the country, from advanced manufacturing in the North East to whisky distilleries in Scotland.

‘In times of global uncertainty, a pragmatic approach to global trade that provides businesses and consumers with stability is more important than ever.’

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

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A massive new trade deal between the UK and India could bring an end to irritating spam texts from Indian senders, the government has said.

Prices on items like clothes, shoes and frozen prawns could also drop for British shoppers as a result of the new agreement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed it as a ‘landmark deal’ which will ‘grow the economy and deliver for British people and business’.

It represents the ‘biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal’ for the UK since Brexit, according to the Department of Business and Trade.

The department said the agreement included ‘new commitments’ to ‘help protect consumers from spam texts from India’, which could mean recipients are able to opt out or give prior consent.

India is the world’s most populous country, and among the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The country’s tariffs on whisky and gin from the UK will be slashed from 150% to 75% while the tariffs on cars will fall from more than 100% to 10%.

Cosmetics, aerospace, lamb, medical devices, salmon, electrical machinery, soft drinks, chocolate, and biscuits are among the other British products that will have their Indian tariffs cut.

The announcement comes after years of negotiations, which took on a new urgency when Donald Trump introduced broad tariffs on imports to the US from every country in the world in April.

The US President also brought in 25% tariffs on car imports, putting significant pressure on the UK’s automotive industry which deals heavily across the Atlantic.

While the lowering of vehicle tariffs in the India agreement may be welcomed by the sector, it is subject to a quota.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: ‘This government’s number one mission is growing the economy as part of our Plan for Change so we can put more money in people’s pockets.

‘By striking a new trade deal with the fastest-growing economy in the world, we are delivering billions for the UK economy and wages every year and unlocking growth in every corner of the country, from advanced manufacturing in the North East to whisky distilleries in Scotland.

‘In times of global uncertainty, a pragmatic approach to global trade that provides businesses and consumers with stability is more important than ever.’

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

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