“It is unfair. It is irresponsible. It is wrong in every way and I don’t believe Starmer has got the guts to deal with it.

“We, at the national level, have got the guts to deal with it and we will resist central Government plonking scores, hundreds, of these young men in these counties that we now control.”

He added: “Central Government scatters young males who have crossed the English Channel around the country and many of those come pro-rata to the North East and the North West and they are imposed upon councils and councils in theory have to accept them.

“Well they are going to find a much more robust response here.”

It comes as another 226 people in six dinghies were intercepted on Thursday, according to official figures.

It takes the total for the year so far to 11,300 migrants in 205 inflatables.

The previous Government introduced rules forcing councils to accept migrants because many were refusing to do so, heaping pressure on local authorities in the south-east of England.

Asylum accommodation provider Serco wants more landlords, investors and agents with properties in the North-west, the Midlands and the East of England to lease for more than five years.

Serco said it uses 4,616 properties for migrants in North West England, and 3,990 in the Midlands and the East of England.

Putting an asylum seeker in a house, bedsit or flat costs as little as £14 a night, the National Audit Office said. This compares to £145 a night in a hotel room.

But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hit out at Reform UK's opposition to Government action on stopping small boats when asked if migration was the reason the party defeated Labour in the Runcorn by-election.

"Runcorn was very, very close, I think one of the closest by-elections in history," Sir Keir told LBC and said there was a history of sitting governments not doing well in by-elections.

Asked if Nigel Farage was right to say Reform UK won the seat because of the migration issue, he said: "We put forward legislation to give many more powers to law enforcement to deal with small boat crossings, with gangs that are running that. Reform came into Parliament and voted against that Bill.

"You can't say on the one hand, you're serious about dealing with the problem - and it is a serious problem - and on the other hand, vote down powers to get law enforcement the tools that they need to tackle (it)."

Immigration is set to be a dominant topic in the years ahead.

But Labour is not planning to rip up its immigration plans despite a ballot box drubbing, the Daily Express understands.

A white paper revealing the Government’s plans to bring down legal migration is due to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

It is expected to make it harder for foreign students who come to the UK on graduate visas to stay in the country through taking low-paid jobs such as healthcare roles.

Annual net migration – the difference between those moving to and from the UK to live – hit a record 906,000 in the year to June 2023, coming down to 728,000 the following year.

Bosses who break employment law, such as by not paying minimum wage, will be banned from hiring workers abroad.

Existing workforces will also be required to train for roles often taken by workers on foreign visas.