Britain’s Armed Forces were activated by Boris Johnson last night to tackle the migrant crisis in the Channel.

The Ministry of Defence will take control of the operation within weeks, after the Prime Minister signed off a dramatic change in tactics.

Royal Navy vessels and RAF support are expected to be deployed on patrol in UK territorial waters as part of a policy blitz dubbed Operation Red Meat that Mr Johnson hopes will turn the tide of Tory disquiet at his premiership.

For the first time, the UK Border Force will be placed under a military chain of command in the fight against people traffickers.

Officials hope the involvement of the Armed Forces will have a significant ‘deterrent effect’.

Government sources pledged the move would result in ‘demonstrable change’ in the Channel crisis, which last year saw a record 28,300 migrants reach the UK from northern France.

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Tory MPs welcomed the move last night. It was the first major announcement as Mr Johnson seeks to get his premiership back on track in the wake of the ‘Partygate’ scandals that have rocked his government.

‘The command of Border Force, which oversees incidents in the Channel, will move over to the Ministry of Defence,’ a Whitehall source said.

Read more: Daily Mail