Amid the renewed debate over small boat crossings sparked by the protests in Dover and Portsmouth, a National Crime Agency spokesman said: “We are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle these gangs, however we can, wherever they operate.

“We know criminal networks will change their tactics as a response to law enforcement activity, but we are making it more difficult and costlier for organised crime groups to source equipment, more difficult to get it to the beaches, more difficult to communicate with potential customers, and generally more difficult for them to operate without coming into contact with law enforcement.

“This work is having an impact and we are confident it has contributed to a reduction in crossings.”

Zia Yusuf told Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, to ensure there was no violence from his group towards the police.

Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman said: “I just want to make that really clear, just so that we’re really clear about this, right? There is never any excuse for violence against police officers who are doing their job. They are taking orders, and that is what it is.”

Mr Thomas said there was no violence in Dover and when questioned about his group’s masks and attire being intimidating said: “The reason people felt potentially intimidated was because of the faces covered. I’ve made that point very clear.

“The only reason they’ve done that is because no one wants to be labelled far right.”

The founder of the group behind the anti-immigration protests at Dover on Saturday has interrupted an interview with Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf in Portsmouth.

Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo – an associate of ring-wing activist Tommy Robinson – spoke to the Reform UK home affairs spokesperson at length, following Mr Yusuf’s at-times heated interviews with news outlets.

Mr Thomas, who founded Patriot Platform in July, dashed around the large crowd of reporters and said: “You have to understand, Yusuf, that what we’re trying to do and the reason the Patriot Platform has been created is not because of violence. We’re not looking to intimidate anyone.

“Let me start by first explaining to you why the men are wearing masks. As you know, and as Nigel knows, the left in this country target us massively. We have working-class men who are bricklayers, who are roofers, who are carpenters, who build the houses that you live in. They build the roads that you drive on. They do all of that stuff. The reason they’re covering their faces is because we know they’re going to be targeted.”

He added: “What Nigel Farage has done is not good. When you call people disgusting, yeah, you have to understand the reasons of why this is happening.”

The founder of a group of protesters who blocked roads in Dover on Saturday has told Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf his party leader Nigel Farage needs to be “careful with his words”.

Interrupting Mr Yusuf during an interview in Portsmouth following another protest on Sunday, Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, accused Mr Farage of calling protesters at the Unite the Kingdom rally in London earlier in the year “knuckle-draggers”.

Mr Thomas, who founded Patriot Platform in July, said: “You have to tell Nigel… we had a million people on the streets of London in every colour, every creed, every background, every ethnicity… he called us knuckle-draggers.

“I understand Nigel is going to be prime minister one day and I understand he has to set a standard, which will basically be that you know he can’t just come out and say everything’s great and these guys are fantastic, but Nigel needs to be very careful with his words.”

Mr Yusuf said he was at the scene to listen to people, and told Mr Thomas: “Nobody has done more to raise this issue, and taken a load of flack for it, than Nigel Farage.”

He added: “I will take that message, you have my word.”

A by-election in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency has been formally triggered after former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer resigned his seat.

The government’s chief whip Anneliese Midgley moved the writ.

She said: “I beg to move that Mr Speaker do issue his warrant to the Clerk of the Crown to make out a new writ for the electing of a member to serve in this present Parliament for the borough constituency of Holborn and St Pancras in the room of right honour Sir Keir Rodney Starmer, who since his election for the said borough constituency has been appointed to the office of Steward and Bailiff of His Majesty’s three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham in the County of Buckingham.”

“Something is about to go down and it’s about to send a f***ing shockwave,” said Danny Tommo, real name Daniel Thomas, in a firm rallying call to dozens of white men assembled in a housing estate park.

As the tattooed 37-year-old –wearing a skin tight t-shirt – set out his vision for his anti-immigration movement called Patriot Platform, every soundbite was met with a cheer from the gathered audience.

The patriotic army, Mr Thomas explained, was a new venture for men concerned over the safety of women and children. It came, he conceded, after his and others’ decade-long work in flying flags and “walking down roads” had not fulfilled his ambition.

But who is Danny Thomas, the man behind the protests?

The Independent’s Alex Ross has this report:

A Portsmouth resident said the protest over migrant arrivals on Sunday night was “the closest I’ve ever been to an insurrection”.

Sue Dewey watched the Eastney scenes unfold from her balcony, and said: “It was a very surreal night, that was the closest I’ve ever been to an insurrection.”

The 68-year-old added: “I’m not a rebel, I’m not an agitator. I am very unhappy about the way things are unfolding, I think that it’s not great for this country – these people are illegal, they’re coming from a safe country, the French are enabling them, we’ve just given them a load more money to enable them even better.”

Ms Dewey told reporters: “They (the migrants) were held up for about 12 hours by the agitators. They didn’t let them go until about 4am.”

On Monday afternoon Ms Dewey was seen taking several life jackets which had been left on a gangway at Eastney.

She said: “They’re just sitting there, I mean the police have said somebody’s coming to collect them but they don’t belong to anybody.”

Ms Dewey said her neighbour took some life vests at about 7am on Monday which prompted her to think “we’ll get some for the (boating) club because the club’s been inconvenienced by this”, adding club staff had to stay on sofas there overnight because they could not leave the street.

Pat McFadden said job losses at Jaguar Land Rover were “deeply concerning” and the government would “do everything we can” to ensure the business remained committed to the UK.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told the Press Association: “I know Jaguar Land Rover well, I’m a West Midlands MP and I know how important this company is to the UK economy and more specifically to the West Midlands regional economy.

“What’s affecting them at the moment is global factors. There’s increased competition from China, there are increased trade barriers for cars, they were also subject to a major cyber attack which was damaging for the company last year.

“These are obviously very concerning job losses. There’s 4,000 people facing a very uncertain future.

“If you look at Volkswagen recently announcing major job losses, this is not a specifically UK situation with the automotive industry.

“We’ll do everything we can to work with the company. I believe they are fundamentally a strong company, they’ve got an exciting future.

“I regret that they’ve had to make this announcement but it’s really important that we have a strong Jaguar Land Rover deeply committed to the UK in the future and that’s what the government is going to try to work with the company to achieve.”