Up to 230 migrants have crossed the English Channel this morning after an eleven day hiatus in what was being claimed as an early victory for the Government's new scheme for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.
UK officials, including a Border Force vessel, escorted seven small boats of men, women and children into Dover Harbour, Kent, at around 12.30am.
The last migrants to arrive at Dover in Kent were a total of 263 across seven small boats on April 19 - and Ministry of Justice data revealed not a single adult or child made it across since.
It comes amid a new strategy to deal with Channel migrants launched on April 14 which saw the military take charge of attempts to control crossings with a joint task force drawn from the Navy, Army and Air Force in Kent.
This week, Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said that the drop to zero was evidence that Home Secretary Priti Patel's scheme, which will see asylum seekers sent 4,000 miles to claim refugee status from Rwanda, is 'working already'.
The controversial agreement with the East African nation, which will see it receive asylum seekers deemed by the UK to have arrived 'illegally' and therefore inadmissible under new immigration rules, was signed on April 14.
Mr Bridgen, the MP for North West Leicestershire, tweeted: 'Priti's migrant policy is working already. No illegal migrant crossing for a week and no income for people traffickers, freeing up civil servants to work on Ukrainian evacuees. We should offer the illegal migrants already here the option of returning to France or going to Rwanda.'
But former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage told GB News: 'There are some saying Rwanda is working, it's a success because virtually no migrants have come now for the last six or seven days. Believe you me, I know this subject.
'That is nothing to do with the prospect of being shipped off to Rwanda. It's because there has been a persistent, strong, north-easterly wind in the English Channel. When it gets calm again, the boats will continue to come.'
At least 230 migrants have crossed the English Channel this morning after an eleven day hiatus in what was being claimed as an early victory for the Government's new scheme for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda
UK officials, including a Border Force vessel, escorted seven small boats of men, women and children into Dover Harbour, Kent, at around 12.30am
The last migrants to arrive at Dover in Kent were a total of 263 across seven small boats on April 19 - and Ministry of Justice data revealed not a single adult or child made it across since
It comes amid a new strategy to deal with Channel migrants launched on April 14 which saw the military take charge of attempts to control crossings with a joint task force drawn from the Navy, Army and Air Force in Kent
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen (left) said that the drop in migrants arriving in small boats to zero was evidence that the Rwanda scheme from Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) is 'working already'
Up to 300 military servicemen, Navy ships and surveillance drones are being deployed to the Channel after the Armed Forces took control with the Navy assuming Border Force's responsibility for intercepting migrant boats.
An RAF Wildcat helicopter is now the key military asset in the air and is being used to carry out a final 'sweep' of the Channel at the end of each day to ensure all migrants - and their dinghies - have been recovered.
The helicopter is being aided by RAF drones operated out of Lydd Airport in Kent. Soldiers and airmen are also now being based at Dover to help UK Border Force staff with initial processing, and the military are able to issue directions to civilian staff of the UK Border Force, whose ships are remaining part of the Channel taskforce.
Seven ships including HMS Tyne, plus smaller boats and a helicopter are being made available to patrol the sea and coastline, so Border Force staff can be freed up for processing migrants once they arrive on land.
More than 6,500 migrants are thought to have arrived in the UK this year so
