Nearly 13,500 migrants have been removed from Britain since the election, the government has said, as the home secretary promised a “step change” in tackling illegal working.

Labour previously pledged to return more people, who do not have a right to stay in the United Kingdom halfway through their first year in office, than in any other six-month period since 2018.

The announcement comes amid a continued rise in Channel crossings, with more than 21,000 migrants having arrived in Britain by small boat alone since July.

The UK Home Office on Sunday said almost 13,460 people had been removed, since the country went to the polls on July 4, which is the highest rate since 2019.

It claimed the government was “on track” to deliver on its returns pledge, which would need to be met by early January.

The Conservatives highlighted that the number of Channel crossings is higher than the same period last year, saying Starmer and Home Office Minister Yvette Cooper were “failing to control our borders and should hang their heads in shame.”

Some 21,306 people have come to the UK via small boat since July 5, with 609 arrivals on Thursday, making it the busiest December day for crossings on record.

Another 298 migrants made the journey on Friday, according to provisional government figures.

Some 34,880 people have arrived in Britain on small boats so far this year, up 20% on this time last year but down 22% in 2022.

Cooper, who visited Rome on Saturday for talks with her Italian counterpart on people smuggling, insisted the Labour administration had “intensified” border security measures since coming to office.

She pledged a crackdown on “exploitative” illegal working, to address “the promise of illegal jobs that are used by criminal smuggling gangs to sell spaces in small boats”.

New technology including body-worn cameras and fingerprint kits, will be rolled out next year to more than 1,200 immigration enforcement officers, in a bid to strengthen evidence that can be collected in raids, the government said.

A new “upstream communications campaign” aimed at debunking lies about job prospects in the UK told by people-smuggling gangs to encourage small boat crossings, has also been launched, it said.

It will include warnings to potential migrants about the exploitative practices of employers and the inhumane living conditions faced by workers, based on real testimonies, the department said.

Cooper said: “Illegal working is a blight on our economy. It is deeply exploitative and undercuts those employers who do the right thing and play by the rules.

“Since the election, we have intensified our efforts to crack down on exploitation and illegal working – the number of operations and arrests are up, and we are on track to meet our target of increasing removals to the highest level for five years.

“I am boosting the capabilities of our immigration enforcement officers to make sure they have the tools they need to further crackdown on illegal working and shine a light on the hidden economy and false promises that criminal smuggling gangs are using to encourage people to cross the Channel in small boats.

“If you employ people illegally, you will face consequences. The rules must be respected and enforced.”

Between July 5 and December 7, a total of 13,460 returns were recorded, of which 3,690 were enforced for people with no legal right to remain in the UK, according to government statistics.

The remaining 9,770 are understood to be voluntary returns and foreign national offenders, though it is unclear how many of either category are represented in the combined figure.

This compares with 2,960 enforced returns over the same period in 2023, an increase of 25%.

Home Office data published last month, showed the number of enforced returns, had jumped to the highest level in nearly six years.

Some 2,061 took place in July to September 2024, up 12% on the previous quarter and an increase of 29% on the same period in 2023.

It is the highest quarterly total since October to December 2018 – when the figure was 2,087, according to Home Office data published on Thursday.

The latest figure covers the period that saw Labour win the general election on July 4.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “These return figures just continue the upward trajectory we have been on under the previous government.

“In their first three months, returns of people crossing by small boat amounted to under 5% of the arrivals in that period, and small boat returns were actually lower than the period before the election.”