Migrant says ‘this is for Rishi Sunak’ as dinghy leaves France across Channel

Migrants waded out to sea to climb up into the crowded boat, while families with young children turned back on the beach.

A group of people thought to be migrants wade through the sea to clamber aboard a small boat off the beach in Gravelines, France (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

A migrant sailing in an inflatable boat down a riverway in France shouted “this is for Rishi Sunak” before picking up more people from a beach near Calais and travelling onwards across the English Channel.

Footage captures a group travelling on a black dinghy before reaching the sea, where dozens of migrants waded into the water at Gravelines and pulled themselves onto the crowded boat on Monday morning.

The departures come just one day after another migrant died attempting the journey to the UK.

Men, women and young children, some wearing life jackets, could be seen appearing from sand dunes and walking across the beach.

Some youngsters were carried on shoulders, but families turned back from the sea as others walked out into the water to be picked up by the inflatable boat.

Police patrolled the beach and appeared to approach families before they turned away.

Volunteers from refugee charity Utopia 56 were also at the scene and told the PA news agency they deal with emergencies, check the boats at sea are not in trouble, distribute clothes and monitor how police engage with migrants on the beaches.

One volunteer, Pablo Eymard-Picollec, said of the families who turned back: “I think a few police officers talked to them and told them to stay on the beach.

“As you can see on the boat, it was really, really crowded, so I think they assumed it was too risky for them to go, but we have to speak with them to know for sure the reason they didn’t go today.”

It comes as the French coastguard rescued 34 migrants, while one person died, after a “heavily loaded” boat got into difficulty overnight from July 27 to 28.

Another Utopia 56 volunteer, who wished not to be named, said they believe it’s more dangerous now as the police have militarised the border.

“More and more people are coming in one boat because there is less chance for them to try,” they said.

“So there are more people now in one boat than before, there is more risk and things like yesterday.”

The charity patrol group said they saw four boats leaving the French coastline on Monday morning.

More than 16,000 migrants have made the journey via the English Channel this year so far, with the latest arrivals of 370 people travelling in six boats on Saturday.