Nigel Farage has accused France of assisting an ‘invasion’ of migrants across the Channel after its border patrol ships were filmed shadowing dinghies trying to make it to the UK.
The Brexit Party leader, 56, said today would be ‘another record day’ for crossings and claimed nine migrant boats are already on the Channel.
Border patrols say they are powerless to stop the boats because migrants are threatening to throw themselves or children overboard if they are forced to turn back.
Authorities are abiding by international law which means the boats cannot be turned around, and British and French naval vessels are shadowing the dinghies in case they come into difficulties.
A record 531 migrants have made it to British shores this month, with 64 migrants on just five boats arriving on Wednesday. The total is expected to rise by at least 65 today.
But Mr Farage claimed the Government are ‘hiding’ the true number of migrants, and demanded Home Secretary Priti Patel ‘tell us the truth’ about the figures.
Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Farage said the Home Office had told him five boats and 70 migrants had been intercepted yesterday, four of them by 4.50am and the last at 2.05pm.
UK Border Force were seen bringing more rescued migrants into the Port of Dover today, as reports claim several boats have been spotted attempting to cross the Channel
Nigel Farage has accused France of assisting an ‘invasion’ of migrants across the Channel, as he predict today would be ‘another record day’ for crossings
Five boats full of migrants have been spotted so far today as temperatures reached 70F and calm conditions created perfect condition for migrants to make the perilous crossing
But the former MEP says that he came across another boat at around 8.30am which was ‘not reported’, he alleged.
‘Why was this boat not listed in the official figures. There is a suspicion that they are not giving us the true figures,’ he said today, adding it would only take 45 minutes for the boat to reach Dover.
‘We counted 22 migrants on that boat and they have not been included in the Home Office figures. I believe the Government are hiding the true number of migrants making it to the UK.’
MailOnline have contacted the Coastguard over Mr Farage’s emergency call yesterday morning.
Filming from a Chartered fishing vessel yesterday, Mr Farage said he spotted a French naval ship ‘escorting’ migrants into UK waters before turning around
Reports claim that around 65 migrants have made the crossing to the UK so far today
Mr Farage yesterday took to the Channel in a chartered fishing boat and ‘rescued’ more than 20 migrants crammed in two tiny dinghies who were seen desperately trying to bail out water.
His vessel contacted the Coastguard, who dispatched RNLI rescue vessels to the scene to save the people on the packed dinghy.
In footage posted to his twitter, the former MEP claims to spot a French naval vessel ‘escorting’ migrant boats into UK waters, before the ship turns around.
Speaking after his return to Dover, Mr Farage said: ‘An astonishing morning mid-Channel. A hugely overloaded boat was bailing out water as we approached with 20 migrants on board.
Border patrols claim that they are ‘powerless’ to stop boats because migrants have threatened to throw themselves or their children overboard if they are forced to turn back
‘It is just outrageous after all the money we have sent to France to deal with this problem that the French Navy now escort illegal migrants into UK waters.’
Under obligations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), authorities cannot intervene with the vessels unless they are invited to do so.
It is also easier for the Home Office to stop entrance into the UK on land, either by working with French authorities or by rejecting asylum requests where conditions are not met.
France was able to stop around 100 people attempting to make the journey over the weekend.
Mr Farage was previously criticised for being photographed on a factfinding trip to Dover while strict coronavirus lockdown rules were still in place.
The total number of migrants who have crossed the Channel this year stands at 1,520, closing in on the 1,890 who made it during the whole of 2019.
Of that tally, 1,149 have reached the UK since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the lockdown in March.
The Brexit Party leader has claimed that nine migrant boats are already on the Channel attempting to make the crossing
The migrants were bailing out their boat as it made its way across the English Channel today
The 531 who have made it to Britain so far this month have eclipsed April’s record figure of 523 – with still more than a week left to go.
On May 8, 145 migrants made it in eight boats – a record for a single day.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has made repeated claims of clamping down on crossings, but the crisis has continued to worsen.
The changing weather conditions also make for an easier trip across the perilous Dover Strait shipping lane.
In one case, around 13 refugees were pictured crammed on one dinghy alongside a Border Force vessel and a large French boat in the middle of the English Channel.
The Coastguard launched its fixed-wing aircraft to work alongside the Border Force vessels Hunter and Speedwell, plus the Dover lifeboat.
Two French vessels are also said to be involved.
Chris Philp, the Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts, said: ‘We are working tirelessly with the French to stop these illegally-facilitated crossings, sharing criminal intelligence with the NCA and French authorities.
‘And a substantial French law enforcement deployment last weekend prevented over 100 migrants from making the crossings – with the French also stopping migrants today.
‘Migrants should not risk their lives leaving a safe country and we will look return those who did today where possible.’
A Coastguard spokesman said: ‘Her Majesty’s Coastguard has coordinated search and rescue responses to a number of incidents off Kent today, working with Border Force.
One group of migrants were escorted by a French vessel before being handed over to UK authorities
One of the vessels had several women and children on board as they crossed the Channel
One of the migrant boats was severely overloaded as it made its way across the Channel
One of the men let slip a plastic container which had been used to bail out the boat
‘We sent the Dover RNLI lifeboat, Border Force vessels Hunter and Speedwell and the HM Coastguard fixed-wing aircraft. We are committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.
‘HM Coastguard is only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities.’
Care4Calais founder Clare Moseley estimates there are up to 200 child migrants living in squalor in settlements across Calais – most of them unaccompanied.
There are currently around 500 people in one camp in Calais, while 240 are spread out across three smaller sites. At a fifth camp, there are around 30.
Ms Moseley said the youngest unaccompanied child she has met in a camp is a 10-year-old Afghan boy. She has also met a 13-year-old girl without any parents.
The migrants waved at the chartered fishing vessel carrying Mr Farage
She said: ‘That’s a rough figure. At any point, around 20 per cent of the refugees are under 18. A lot of them come from Sudan, where they could be recruited as soldiers.
‘And some are from Afghanistan. They might have lost their parents and are trying to join other people in the UK.
‘Coronavirus has made the conditions even worse for them so they are even more desperate to get to the UK. These people have nothing to lose.’
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The government takes the welfare of unaccompanied children very seriously and provides funding to local authorities, including Kent, as a contribution to the cost of supporting unaccompanied children and those who leave care.
‘This funding was significantly increased in May 2019.’