The figures provided by the unnamed official show that some 30,000 asylum seekers entered the country by means other than small boats that illegally ferry migrants across the English Channel.
Almost 9,000 others were stopped by the Border Force at airports, seaports and other ports of entry. That leaves about 21,000 illegal immigrants who slipped into the country undetected, the daily estimated.
On top of that, 54,563 migrants who arrived in the United Kingdom last year by boat, on the back of trucks and ferries and were caught by authorities up to 72 hours after their arrival.
The source told The Times these figures called into question the government’s policy of reducing illegal immigration, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has identified as one of his five priorities for restoring the country to prosperity in 2023.