GB News interrupted their live coverage for a breaking news announcement in a huge blow to Keir Starmer.
GB News was forced to cut to a breaking migrant alert as thousands crossed the Channel in days (Image: gb news)
GB News was dramatically interrupted for a breaking migrant alert — just as fresh figures revealed more than 1,500 people have crossed the Channel since Thursday, dealing a humiliating blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer as his migrant policies face growing criticism. Home and Security Editor Mark White broke the news live on air, confirming that 500 migrants had already crossed the Channel in small boats by Friday morning, with numbers rapidly rising as weather conditions improved.
“The third straight day we’re seeing more migrant activity in the Channel and it should come as no surprise,” Mark said. “Due to bad weather for a fortnight the boats stopped, but the moment the weather improved they began to pour in.” He noted that government ministers had wrongly claimed the drop in crossings was due to policy success, adding: “It’s all the more bizarre then that we’ve had a number of ministers during the end of that fortnight coming forward and saying that the fact that we haven’t had so many crossings for such a long period of time shows that government policy is making an impact.”
Fresh figures revealed more than 1,500 people have crossed the Channel since Thursday (Image: getty)
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According to a senior maritime source, the surge has “absolutely nothing” to do with government intervention. “This is all to do with the weather,” the source said.
“This is proved clearly by the fact that we are just seeing a short window of a few days of passable conditions, and they’re pushing them out in very significant numbers.”
On Thursday, 621 migrants arrived in nine small boats. By Friday that figure had already risen to 1,269, and by Saturday morning a further 240 had landed in Dover Harbour after crossing in three more boats.
“The conditions are going to remain passable for today and even into tomorrow, where we could see significant numbers crossing again tomorrow,” Mark warned.
He added that the update was “very unwelcome news for the Home Office”, revealing that officials had become defensive when challenged about the figures.
“What that’s doing to the figure, it’s taking it well beyond 38,000, which is already above the 36,000 who crossed in the whole of last year,” he said.
“We’ve still got November and December to go. Even though conditions are unpredictable at this time of year, look at what happens when we get the good days.”
GB News reporters in Dover observed Border Force vessels Ranger and Defender docking throughout the morning, carrying migrants from multiple dinghies.
“By 11am, another Border Force vessel, Defender, docked at Dover with migrants from two separate dinghies,” Mark reported. “Our producer counted around 140 people as they disembarked.”
A Home Office spokesperson later admitted the crossings were “shameful” and said the British public “deserve better”.
The statement added: “This Government is taking action. We have detained and removed more than 35,000 who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
“But we must go further and faster – removing more of those here illegally and stopping migrants from making small boat crossings in the first place.”
