Britain needs to take back control of its borders

Britain has lost control of its borders. Over the last four years, the number of asylum-seekers and illegal migrants who have arrived unlawfully in Britain in small boats, after passing through safe countries, has rocketed from just 299 to nearly 40,000. 

This year, so far, the number of people crossing the Channel each month has surged from 1,000 back in January to more than 7,000 in September. Last week, nearly 1,000 people in 24 boats crossed the Channel in a single day. 

Make no mistake. Many of the people who are making this perilous journey are genuine refugees fleeing war and persecution — including conflicts that were started by hapless western leaders. The data show that the people on the boats are primarily from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Eritrea and Sudan. 

But it is also true that many are not genuine refugees. The most remarkable statistic to emerge this week is that up to 2 per cent of the entire adult male population of Albania have now come to Britain on the small boats.