More than 33,500 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of 2025, despite Keir Starmer’s ‘commitment’ to cut the number of crossings by 2029. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, having admitted Britain has lost control of its borders, has dispatched border officers to the Balkans in a bid to “smash the gangs”. The Daily Telegraph's Senior Foreign Correspondent Sophia Yan has been looking into the underworld of migrant smuggling. In an exclusive investigation, she has