Yvette Cooper has blamed the record number of Channel crossings this year on the weather.
The Home Secretary said smuggling gangs have been "taking advantage of the much higher number of calm weather days" with over 10,000 feared to have been detected.
Asked whether she thought she was doing a good job of stopping crossings, Yvette Cooper told Times Radio: "The boats are high and this is undermining border security, it's putting lives at risk. It's why it's so essential to take action on the criminal gangs that are underpinning this vile trade in people. They have been taking advantage of the much higher number of calm weather days," she said.
Ms Cooper later said the situation "cannot continue" where "the impact on our border security of the weather is so significant".
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