More than 800 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in a single day – a new record for the year so far.
The Home Office said 882 people made the journey in 15 boats on Tuesday, suggesting an average of 59 people per boat.
The latest crossings take the provisional total for the number of arrivals so far this year to 12,313.
This is 18% higher than this time last year when 10,472 crossings were recorded, and up 5% on the total at this stage in 2022 (11,690), according to PA news agency analysis of Government figures.
Last year, 29,437 migrants arrived in the UK, down 36% on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
Tuesday’s crossings are the highest daily number of arrivals recorded since November 29 2022, when 947 people made the journey.
The highest single day total on record for Channel crossings since 2018 was reached on September 3 2022 when 1,305 migrants arrived in the UK.
More than 2,000 arrivals have now been recorded since the General Election was called on May 22 (2,431), with immigration a key campaign battleground.
In the last six and a half years as the recent migrant crisis unfolded, 126,658 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel, data recorded since the start of 2018 shows.
Some 81,677 people have made the journey since the Government struck the stalled deal to send migrants to Rwanda in April 2022.
The tally of crossings since Rishi Sunak, who pledged to “stop the boats”, became Prime Minister in October that year is almost 50,000, now standing at 49,376.
Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock accused Mr Sunak of presiding over a failure to curb the numbers which was “far from stopping the boats” and insisted Labour had a “comprehensive plan” to tackle Channel crossings.
The figures also prompted repeat calls from charities for an overhaul of asylum policies.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said: “People who are fleeing conflict and persecution are forced to make the perilous sea crossing because they have no other option to reach safety.
“The next UK government needs to radically change their response to people seeking asylum, including making safe routes available for people with family and other connections here.”
Safe Passage International’s chief executive, Wanda Wyporska, said: “If the next government is serious about protecting refugee lives and tackling the smuggling gangs, it must prioritise opening safe routes and helping refugee families to reunite in safety here.”
The Home Office said: “We continue to work closely with our French partners to prevent crossings and save lives.”