Nigel Farage demanded Keir Starmer declare a "national security emergency" as hundreds of migrants continued to cross the Channel in small boats. The Prime Minister delivered a tough speech on Monday promising to cut immigrartion - but Reform UK leader Nigel Farage pointed out that nearly 1,000 new small boat migrants had already arrived since then.

Challenging Sir Keir during questions to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, Nigel Farage said recent arrests of Iranian men on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act showed how serious the problem was. He said: "We at Reform, a party which is alive and kicking, very much enjoyed your speech on Monday. You seemed to be learnign a great deal from us.

"Can I encourage you please to go further, as a matter of natiional security. Over the weeked an illegal immigrant from Iran who we believe came by boat, was arrested in the north of England on serious charges of terrorism.

"Since the speech on Monday, 1,000 undocumented young males have crossed the English Channel. Does the Prime Minister agree now is the time to delcare the situation in the English channel as a national security emergency?"

The Prime Minister said: "The situation is serious. The last government lost control of the borders."

He said Labour's new laws would give border security law enforcement powers similar to anti-terror powers, in order to cut illegal immigration. Sir Keir criticised Mr Farage for opposing Labour's border laws, saying: "It is extraordinary that he of all people voted against it."

Official figures show more than 12,000 small boat arrivals have made the journey across the Channel so far this year. One migrant died after a boat broke up in the Channel and 191 others were rescued across Sunday and Monday, according to the French coastguard.

On Tuesday, the authority also reported rescuing a further 71 migrants on Monday afternoon and taking them to Calais.

Some 601 people in 10 boats arrived in the UK on Monday, bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 12,407, according to Home Office figures.

There has been a record number of arrivals for the first five months of the year, since data was first collected on Channel crossings in 2018.

It is also the earliest point in the calendar year to have reached 12,000.

The current total for 2025 – 12,407 – is up 31% on the number recorded at this point last year (9,455) and 81% higher than the same point in 2023 (6,844), according to PA news agency analysis of the data.

Sir Keir Starmer set out plans to curb legal migration on Monday, with changes for example to study and work visas and higher English language requirements hoped to make net migration fall “significantly” by the next general election.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also said further reforms to the asylum system and to border security in response to irregular migration will be set out later this summer.