Science Secretary Peter Kyle has blamed France for failing to implement agreed measures to stop migrant boats in shallow waters, contributing to record Channel crossing numbers.
Speaking on GB News's Camilla Tominey Show, Kyle said the French authorities were "not tackling" boats when they enter shallow water, despite this being part of the UK-France agreement.
The latest figures reveal that 1,194 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel last week, marking the highest single-day total recorded so far in 2025.
This brings the annual total to 14,811 migrants, representing a 42 per cent increase compared to the same period last year and a 95 per cent rise from 2023.
Peter Kyle said the Labour government is determined to 'go further'
GB NEWS
Kyle told: “What you've seen is a reduction in the number of hotels being used to house asylum seekers. Not enough. We need to go much further, and we will go further.
“What you have seen is an increase by one whole third of the number of asylum seekers that are being returned from our country. We are getting a grip on our asylum system.
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"We have a long way to go, but the absurdity of the amount of millions that are being spent on hotels as a result of the failure of the last government that had an open borders experiment, we have to get a grip on that, and we are now.
“It's going to take time, because of the global nature of immigration, for us to get all of the agreements, not just to be in place because we have a good agreement with France, but for that to be enforced and inaction, we are working really hard on that.
“We are focusing on the things that will tackle with the flow of migration and stopping it from happening in the Channel because it is good for no one.
"We are working on the powers that will smash those gangs. And believe me, we will do so well.”
Peter Kyle confirmed that an agreement was already in place with French authorities to change their operational approach
GB NEWS
Asked about the £480million being paid to France to intercept the boats, he said: “The deal that we've negotiated with them is now being implemented and we're in the implementation phase now.
"There are a couple of issues there that are completely absurd and we are working on it.
“For example, the French are tackling boats when they go into deep water. They are doing some work on the beach, but there is that crucial part of when they're in shallow water.
“At the moment, they're not tackling it. That is part of our agreement but that part of the agreement has not yet been implemented. That's what we're working on.
“We have been in power for 10 or 11 months, we have rehabilitated our relationships with our global partners, and we are using them to deliver deals, three trade deals in just one month.
"And these negotiations and deals that we're doing with France on immigration, these are the sorts of things that we'll deliver."
He confirmed that an agreement was already in place with French authorities to change their operational approach.