PM 'finally admits' Channel small boats crisis is 'spiralling'

DOWNING Street has admitted the Channel migrant crisis is getting worse, as the number of arrivals since Sir Keir Starmer took office surged past 40,000.

- Michael Knowles

At least 300 people crossed in small boats yesterday, amid fresh chaos on French beaches.

Some 2,000 migrants are feared to have crossed in the last week alone.

Responding to No 10's admission that the situation in the Channel is "deteriorating", the Prime Minister said countries refusing to take back illegals could face visa restrictions.

Sir Keir said he was looking to strike "transactional" deals with countries that "don't have returns agreements with us".

He said: "We are looking at issues like a smarter use of our visas, looking at whether we should tie our visas to the work that the countries we are dealing with are doing on preventative measures and on return agreements.

"But do we need to do more? Yes, we do. And it's by working together that I think we can achieve that." Pressed on his plans to restrict visas for countries refusing to take back illegals, Sir Keir said: "We're looking at what we can do on returns agreements.

"We've done a number of bilateral returns agreements.

"So, the question is, again, whether it's possible to go a bit beyond that.

"But we are also looking at this question of visas now, and whether we can be a bit smarter with the use of our visas in relation to countries that don't have returns agreement with us. It would be much more, sort of, transactional.