Nigel Farage has expressed his outrage at the country's surge in migrant crossings, as he witnessed a dinghy full of people being escorted to the UK by French authorities.

The leader of Reform UK spoke to GB News live from the English Channel, as he headed out on a boat for the latest round of his General Election campaign.

Farage has pledged a freeze on "non-essential" immigration and a ban on students from bringing dependants to the UK.

Discussing the "outrageous" migrant numbers crossing the channel, the Reform leader warned hosts Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster that the "problem is getting worse" and the "£500million" that Britain has given France has not eased the situation.

Witnessing a dinghy escort live on-air, Farage fumed: "We are literally mid Channel now, between Dover and Calais, and behind me you can see a white dinghy.

"There are 45 people on board - behind it you can see an escort vessel because that's what the French do. Once these boats are afloat, they escort them to our 12 mile line where they hand them over to Border Force. That of itself, I think, is outrageous."

Highlighting the total migrant numbers since Rishi Sunak has become Prime Minister, Farage noted that the 45 people who were crossing in front of Reform's boat "takes the number beyond 50,000".

Farage told GB News: "The significance of this boat is that this number on this vessel take it beyond 50,000 that have come since Rishi Sunak has been Prime Minister. During Boris Johnson's time, 68,000 came, but he was there for double the period.

"So don't delude yourselves, this problem is getting worse. And we're witnessing a very big, significant number today."

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Isabel then quizzed Farage on whether Reform's plans for migrants are "truly attainable", including his pledge to leave the ECHR.

Farage defended his plans, affirming: "It's all attainable. Brexit Britain can do what the hell it likes. That was the point of leaving.

"You need a government that's prepared to carry it out, and sadly, we lack the will to do so. And it isn't just the £8million a day for the hotels, I genuinely believe this should be declared a national security emergency. We have no idea who these young men are, no idea what they've been through, no idea what their intentions are, and that is just how serious this situation is."

Defending his decision to leave the ECHR, Farage then explained: "I think logically, as a result of Brexit, we should leave the ECHR anyway. It's becoming an increasingly activist court.

"It's making it very difficult to deport those that come to our country illegally. We should have no part of it whatsoever. Let's get that sovereignty back. And once it's back, let's exercise it properly because that's what the voters wanted more than once."

Responding to Rishi Sunak's claims that migrants in Calais are "waiting for a Labour administration" because of the "Rwanda deterrent", Farage slammed the Prime Minister for "not bearing any credibility".

He scolded: "They honestly don't bear credibility in any way at all. Were this lot behind me waiting for a Labour government? Were they hell.

"Over 128,000 people have come, 90 per cent of them young men, many coming from war zones, from areas plagued by terrorism, gang crime, many coming with attitudes towards women that we would find completely unacceptable. I mean, how much worse could it be under Labour that it's been under him?"