Vladimir Putin’s Russia and other foreign powers are fuelling illegal migration into Britain by supplying fake documents, transport and even military escorts to people smugglers, it has been claimed. The aim, it is alleged, is to destabilise Britain by overwhelming border defences and sowing internal divisions. The move also poses risks to those crossing the Channel aboard overcrowded and unsafe dinghies.

A top security source told The Sun: “Hostile states and malign actors are using illegal migration to test borders, cause disruption and destabilise countries like Britain. That’s exactly why NATO is now treating border protection as a core part of collective defence — because the lines between traditional military threats and national security are more blurred than ever.” As noted by the source, NATO leaders acknowledged during this week’s summit the migrant crisis as a serious threat to national security, and encouraged for the first time the Western military alliance’s members to include border protection in their spending targets. This comes as more than 18,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year – a surge that Opposition MPs now say must be treated as a “national security crisis”.

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Home Office insiders told The Sun they are fully aware of the rising risk of foreign interference and meddling in the Channel crisis.

The number of migrant arrivals to the UK has soared over the past few years. In 2018, just 299 people crossed the Channel, but by 2022 the number had skyrocketed to a record 45,774.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the news outlet: “This is a national security crisis. A public safety crisis and a border security crisis. The news that hostile states are weaponising illegal migration shows the Government has been negligent in failing to tackle the boat crisis.

“The way to stop it is to immediately remove illegal immigrants to a location outside Europe. But Labour scrapped the Rwanda deterrent before it even started and now record numbers are coming in.”

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: “National security is the first duty of any government — and that means securing our borders.

“We are improving our ability to monitor and anticipate illegal migration flows at national and international levels, including investing in new state-of-the-art surveillance tech.

“Our Border Security Command is bringing together security operations at our borders. This means working closely with Europol, Frontex and EU member states to fight organised immigration crime.

“New counter-terror-style powers will tackle the gangs, and existing measures will make sure identity and criminal record checks are carried out on all who arrive by visa, clandestine entry or small boat — so that any potential threats can be immediately dealt with.”

Billions of pounds are already spent on border forces, coastal patrols and Channel surveillance.