People smugglers are targeting migrants by warning them they must make it to Britain before the Rwanda policy takes effect, according to reports.
Gangs are posting adverts on social media to encourage people to make the crossing sooner rather than later, The Times reported.
They claim the only way to avoid being removed from the UK on a plane to Rwanda is to make the journey before the new prime minister is installed.
It comes after a record 1,295 migrants arrived in the UK on Monday after crossing the Channel, according to official figures. It is the highest daily total since current records began in 2018.
Some 27 boats made the journey, an average of around 48 people per boat, according to provisional Ministry of Defence data.
The controversial Rwanda policy was unveiled in April, with prime minister Boris Johnson saying action was needed to stop “vile people smugglers”.
However, no-one has been sent to the African country and thousands have continued to cross the world’s busiest shipping lane in precarious dinghies. The policy has stalled following a series of human rights challenges.
Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: “The Tory government said that the mere threat of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda would deter crossings, we now see that the opposite is in fact happening.
“We are now seeing record numbers of lives being put at risk - more than 22,000 for the year and 1,295 in a single day.
“This reflects an utter failure of a government that prefers to put forward unworkable and expensive policies in a bid to chase headlines rather than do the hard graft of tackling criminal smuggler gangs.”
Kinnock said Labour would switch funding from the Rwanda policy to resource a specialist National Crime Agency cell of more than a hundred officers focused on targeting criminal gangs.
Meanwhile, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said it was obvious that the “eye-wateringly expensive and immoral” plan was “never going to work”.
“Far from stopping the smugglers and traffickers, this Conservative government is lining their pockets,” he added.
He claimed home secretary Priti Patel’s actions had worsened the situation, adding: “With more people making dangerous attempts to cross the Channel and more profits for the criminal gangs who exploit their desperation.”
Carmichael called on leadership hopefuls Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to commit to scrapping the “unworkable and odious policy”.
However, both candidates have pledged to pursue the policy and even extend it to other countries.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that Albanian gangs were offering free minibus trips from southern Europe to the northern French coast for those wanting to cross the Channel.
The people smugglers promoted the service in adverts on TikTok in which they show pictures of minibuses with an invitation for people to message in order to sign up.
Patel told the paper the social media posts were “totally unacceptable” and the government was tackling the “deceitful online propaganda” with law enforcement, social media companies and overseas governments.
A government spokesperson said: “The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they risk the lives of vulnerable people, who are being exploited by ruthless criminal gangs.
“Our new nationality and borders act is breaking these evil criminal’s business model, through tougher sentences for those who facilitate illegal entry into the country, with 38 people already arrested and facing further action since it became law.
“Under our new migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda, we are continuing preparations to relocate those who make these unnecessary and illegal journeys, helping to save lives by deterring others from crossing.”
A home office source said that change would not happen overnight, but they were confident their plans will disrupt “illegal migration”.