The number of small-boat migrants who have reached Britain under Labour is larger than the entire British Army.

The deepening crisis in the Channel saw 781 migrants arrive on Wednesday – the highest daily tally this year. It pushed the total since the general election to 83,279 – passing the Army’s 83,000 soldiers, said Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.

‘Labour has let an entire army-sized population cross the Channel illegally,’ the Tory frontbencher said.

‘More people have arrived in small boats than we have soldiers defending Britain. That is completely bonkers.

‘Labour has lost control of our borders and seems utterly incapable of getting it back.’

He added: ‘The Conservative plan is to end hotels and benefits for illegal immigrants and instead deport them.’

Amid growing concerns over Labour’s response to the crisis, this week saw two dinghies reach UK shores without being intercepted by Border Force.

Cabinet minister Lucy Powell admitted the Government ‘can’t stop everything all of the time’ as she was grilled over a week of chaos.

Wednesday’s arrivals beat the previous high for this year of 752 on July 29, and mean 1,085 migrants reached Britain in the first three days of this week. There were further arrivals yesterday but numbers are yet to be officially confirmed.

The surge in crossings may indicate that traffickers are no longer experiencing problems obtaining dinghies and other maritime equipment such as outboard motors after a law enforcement crackdown restricted supply routes.

The figures will be embarrassing for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who claimed on September 2: ‘We are boosting officer numbers to record highs to crack down on small-boat launches and the gangs behind them. This work is bearing fruit.’

This week’s two ‘uncontrolled landings’ included a dinghy with up to 30 migrants aboard which reached a Kent beach on Tuesday before police arrived.

Read More: Labour’s army of migrants: 83,279 small-boat arrivals since general election now outstrip the strength of the regular British Army