Chris Philp has hit out at the "disgraceful" ushering of migrants into British waters by the French, just one day after Sir Keir Starmer's exchange deal with France began.
Speaking to GB News during his patrol of the Dover port, the Shadow Home Secretary declared it is "completely wrong" for the French to be "escorting" migrants into Britain.
Philp's investigation revealed continued migrant activity, contradicting claims from the Prime Minister about the deal's deterrent effect.
GB News
|Chris Philp has hit out at the 'disgraceful' escorting of almost 200 migrants into Britain by the French
"I came out to the Channel today because the Government claimed their deal yesterday would deter crossings, so I wanted to come out here and find out if it's true and it's not true, because we've seen migrant crossings," Philp told GB News.
He added: "We encountered two boats within just half an hour, very heavily overloaded with migrants. The French were simply ushering them, escorting them across into British waters."
Following the transfer, the French captain made an unexpected request over the radio. He asked for the return of life jackets that had been used during the journey.
"The French captain then had the cheek to ask for his life jackets back, we caught that on the radio, so he can give those life jackets to a load of other illegal immigrants in the future," Philp recounted.
GB News
|Hundreds more migrants entered Britain just one day after Keir Starmer's return deal with France began
The Shadow Home Secretary interpreted this exchange as evidence that French authorities were enabling illegal migration rather than preventing it. He said their actions were "disgraceful" and argued that the French were actively facilitating crossings.
Philp argued that the Government's new arrangement contains numerous exemptions that will render it ineffective. Individuals claiming to be minors, those asserting modern slavery concerns, or anyone raising human rights issues would not be returned to France under the scheme.
"The human rights lawyers will make mincemeat of the Government using all of those various loopholes," the Shadow Home Secretary warned.
He expressed doubt that any meaningful number of migrants would be sent back to France, estimating that 94 per cent of those arriving would remain in Britain: "94 per cent of the people getting off that Border Force vessel down there are going to be allowed to stay in the UK, and that is clearly no deterrent at all."
GB News
|Philp told GB News that nearly 94 per cent of migrants will stay in Britain as a result of the deal
The Shadow Home Secretary contrasted Labour's approach with the previous Government's Rwanda policy, which he claimed would have removed all illegal arrivals.
The scheme had been prepared for implementation in July 2024 after overcoming legal obstacles and parliamentary approval.
"The Rwanda scheme was ready to go. That would have seen 100 per cent of illegal arrivals getting removed, that would have acted as a deterrent," Philp explained.
He blamed the Prime Minister for abandoning the policy shortly before its launch without establishing an alternative system. This decision, according to Philp, has resulted in record-breaking crossing numbers.
"This year so far, 2025, has been the worst year in history for illegal crossings. That is down to this Labour Government," he asserted, attributing the surge directly to what he termed the current administration's weakness.