Lee Anderson warns of stark wake-up call over small boats crisis

As 1,200 migrants crossed the Channel in a single day - a new record - Keir Starmer's pledge during last year's general election looks emptier than ever.

More than 14,600 illegal migrants have now successfully landed on our shores this year. That's up 30% on the same point last year.

The problem got so bad over the weekend that the Coastguard had to ask fishing boats to assist a yacht and kayaks in trouble because the Border Force were too busy rolling out the red carpet to these illegal migrants.

Now, those 1,200 undocumented individuals will be readily dispersed in accommodation across the country. No vetting, no checks, and all at the expense of the British taxpayer.

If you thought Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson and the Conservatives were clueless on these crossings, Keir Starmer is showing us that we haven't seen anything yet.

In 2020, Nigel Farage rightly said that we need to declare a national security emergency on this matter. He was ignored. But, as with most things, it turns out he was right.

The only way that we can put an end to this invasion is to leave the ECHR. Without doing so, lefty activist lawyers will continue to frustrate the system.

Unfortunately, we have a government that is weak, cowardly, and more concerned with keeping foreign courts happy than defending our national interests.

Lee Anderson is the Reform UK MP for Ashfield