Labour will turn Britain into the 'asylum capital of the world', Home Secretary James Cleverly warns - amid claims illegal migrants are waiting for change of Government

Labour will make Britain the 'asylum capital of the world', the Home Secretary has warned amid claims migrants are waiting for a change of Government before crossing the Channel.

James Cleverly said that Labour will give an amnesty to those arriving in the UK illegally, making the journey by small boat more appealing to those in France.

'Smuggling gangs have heard this and are rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of a Labour government that would guarantee sanctuary to illegal migrants,' he wrote in the Telegraph.

'We now know that the migrants and the people smugglers are watching and hoping for a Keir Starmer victory. That will mean more boats and more people are coming to the UK.'

Rishi Sunak also quoted a newspaper article about migrants who said they were waiting for a new government to scrap the Rwanda deportation scheme before attempting to reach the UK.

James Cleverly said that Labour will give an amnesty to those arriving in the UK illegally, making the journey by small boat more appealing to those in France

Two inflatable dinghies carrying migrants make their way towards on May 4

Home Office figures showed the number of Channel migrants has hit a record for the first six months of a calendar year at 12,901

But his Labour opponent Yvette Cooper insisted: 'People aren't waiting, they're arriving because the small boat gangs, the criminal gangs are organising boats'

'Illegal migrants in France are saying that they're actually waiting for Labour to come into power so they can cross,' the Prime Minister wrote on social media.

The Home Secretary was told in an immigration debate on LBC radio that more than 12,000 people have crossed the Channel in dinghies this year, up from 10,000 in the first half of 2023, and asked if voters were meant to believe people in refugee camps in France are studying UK election polling.

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Record number of migrants have crossed Channel in small boats during first six months of the year

He replied: 'They absolutely do. We know that this is a digitally enabled criminal enterprise. The people-smugglers and the people that seek to be smuggled pay very, very close attention to a whole range of things.'

He said it was 'clear' from quotes obtained by Telegraph reporters near Dunkirk that 'there's a cohort of people currently in France, who are waiting for Rwanda to be taken off the table before coming over here'.

But his Labour opponent Yvette Cooper insisted: 'People aren't waiting, they're arriving because the small boat gangs, the criminal gangs are organising boats.

'We've had record crossings at 12,000 in the course of this year, that is a record spring crossing. The Rwanda scheme has been running for two-and -a-half years and all they've sent is two volunteers. It's not working.'

Asked if more people might be arriving, she said: 'I think people are going to be disappointed if they think that, because Labour is going to introduce a new Border Security Command that will smash the criminal gang networks that are organising these dangerous crossings...'