The British Labour Party, widely expected to take power this year, will attempt to crack down on people-smuggling gangs bringing migrants across the Channel, with new counter-terrorism powers, party leader Keir Starmer will say on Friday.

The crossings from northern Europe in small boats will be a key issue during a general election likely to be held this year, with the polls pointing towards Starmer becoming prime minister.

Starmer will set out his plans to tackle the crisis during a speech on the Kent coastline, southern England, where most of the boats arrive, his office said.

The Labour leader will vow to scrap a government scheme to undocumented asylum seekers to Rwanda and will "replace gimmicks with graft," according to extracts of his speech released late on Thursday.

Some of the money saved from the Rwanda scheme will fund an "elite Border Security Command" led by a former police, military or intelligence chief, according to the extracts.

Starmer will say that a Labour government would hire hundreds of investigators, intelligence agents and cross-border police and introduce new border control searches, adding to powers created by the 2000 Terrorism Act, in order to break the smuggling gangs.

The announcement comes two days after Dover MP Natalie Elphicke defected to Labour from the ruling Conservatives, in part citing the government's failure to stop the crossings.

More than 8,800 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, up 32 percent on the same period last year.