More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the Channel.
Home Office figures published on Saturday show 288 people made the journey in five boats on Friday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 10,170.
It is a new record for this stage in the year, passing the 9,326 who made the perilous crossing by this point in 2022.
Last year it took until June 17 to reach the 10,000 mark.
The Home Office said the latest figures show ‘exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible’.
The Government’s Rwanda plan would see some asylum seekers sent to the African country for processing.
Immigration has become a key campaign battleground ahead of the election and could cause a headache for Rishi Sunak.
Not sure what to make of the General Election? Ask Alright, Gov?, Metro's brand new politics newsletter.
We'll be following the battle for No 10 in our weekly dispatch, bringing you easy-to-read breakdowns and straightforward analysis — Metro style.
Sign up here to get your copy sent directly to your inbox each week, or join us on WhatsApp for daily updates as the election madness gets underway.
The prime minister had pledged to ‘stop the boats’ altogether, describing his Rwanda plan as an ‘indispensable deterrent’.
But he announced this week that no planes will take off before the General Election on July 4.
Labour has committed to scrapping the programme altogether.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We continue to work closely with our French partners to prevent crossings and save lives.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.