'I don't believe the UK lacks the means to stop this from happening... but I think they need this flow of immigrants'

“I don’t believe the UK lacks the means to stop this type of thing from happening.

- 

“But the UK needs this flow of immigrants, they need this kind of labour force.”

The people smuggler shamelessly admitted earning around £400,000 from putting hundreds of people on dinghies to make the perilous Channel crossing to our shores.

Yet he dismissed protests against hotels housing asylum seekers, saying: “It is a bit laughable.

“I saw the faces of people taking this route, they were young people, hopeless girls and boys risking their life for a better future.

“I don’t think a woman with a toddler can be considered a criminal.” He also doubts the new laws introduced by Sir Keir Starmer’s administration in an effort to tackle the small boats crisis will work.

The Home Office this month announced measures designed to “crack down” on social media content promoting illegal migration from France to the UK.

However, the smuggler said the policies were fundamentally flawed as he, like most of his connections in the trafficking network, were based outside British jurisdiction.

He said: “It would be very difficult to affect people, almost impossible. If people fear the law, this kind of business would not exist.

“People who do this job know that they are dealing with something illegal.”

Prior to quitting the callous trade earlier this year, the man claimed to earn huge sums by sourcing customers for small boat journeys.