More than 1,200 migrants have crossed the English Channel in 20 boats in the past week - as total on Rishi Sunak's watch nears 50,000 milestone

More than 1,200 migrants crossed the English Channel on 20 small boats over the past seven days, new Home Office figures have shown. 

Since Rishi Sunak called the July 4 election on May 22, almost 3,000 people have made the crossing on 50 boats. 

So far this year, 12,655 migrants have successfully made it to Britain, compared with 10,601 in 2023 and 11,739 in 2022 which saw a record number of crossings. 

Since the passing of the Government's Rwanda act on April 22, 6,390 people on board 122 boats have arrived in the UK. 

On the morning after the bill passed on April 22, Home Secretary James Cleverley said the legislation would allow for the speedy removal of migrants, suggesting the first flights could depart in July. 

He said: 'This vital legislation means we can now proceed with our Rwanda plan and begin removing people with no right to be here.

'The only way to stop the boats is to eliminate the incentive to come – by making clear that if you are here illegally, you will not be allowed to stay.

'Our policy does exactly that and plans are well under way to begin flights within 10 to 12 weeks.'

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: 'The passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration.

'We introduced the Rwanda bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.

'Our focus is to now get flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will stand in our way of doing that and saving lives.'

Mr Sunak had earlier said the first flights to Rwanda would take off before the election, but that plan was scrapped when he announced the snap poll date. 

In an interview with Sky News, Mr Sunak said the first flight was scheduled for July 24 - almost three weeks after July 4's election. 

Mr Cleverley said the human trafficking gangs smuggling migrants into the UK would be 'rubbing their hands with glee' if Sir Keir Starmer replaces Mr Suank as prime minister on the morning of July 5. 

He said: 'A Labour government led by a man with a history of being weak on immigration, and the scrapping of the Rwanda scheme will be used as a selling point around the world.

'Labour's immigration plan is just a rebranding of existing Home Office teams, and the scrapping of our key deterrent.

'The smugglers will be rubbing their hands with glee if Labour win this election.'

However the Labour Party insist that the government's current immigration is a 'shambles' and incredibly poor value for money for the taxpayer. 

Labour said: '

The Tories’ Rwanda law is an extortionately expensive gimmick rather than a serious plan to tackle dangerous boat crossings.

Sunak’s failing Rwanda plan will cost £2 million per person removed – more than half a billion pounds for just 300 people when over 30,000 people arrived in small boats last year. That means this scheme will cover less than one per cent of arrivals.