Record 1,295 migrants cross English Channel on small boats in a day

Numbers have continued to rise as government pursues ‘deterrents’ such as Rwanda deal and Navy patrols

The number of migrants reaching Britain on small boats has hit a new record of 1,295 in a single day.

They crossed the English Channel in a total of 27 boats on Monday, the Ministry of Defence said.

Numbers have continued to rise despite the Royal Navy being handed “primacy” for the response at sea, the announcement of the Rwanda deal and unfulfilled threats to force boats back into French waters.

The Home Office has pursued a policy of “deterrents” aiming to reduce crossings, with Priti Patel pledging that she would make the route “unviable” in August 2020.

But numbers have continued to rise, with the total of almost 22,700 arrivals this year 80 per cent higher than the 12,500 seen by the same point in 2021.

The majority of those have arrived on small boats since Boris Johnson announced that the Navy would “take over operational command from Border Force in the Channel” in April..

On the same day, the home secretary announced the deal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which she also claimed would be a deterrent.

New laws came into force in June that criminalised Channel boat crossings by making entering British waters without a visa an offence of “illegal entry”, but no prosecutions have yet been announced.

The same package of laws, contained in the Nationality and Borders Act, increased the punishment for the offence of “facilitating” illegal entry, which was previously used unlawfully to prosecute asylum seekers who steered their own dinghies.

A government document claimed the laws would “deter illegal entry into the UK, breaking the business model of criminal trafficking networks and saving lives”.

They are separate from the Rwanda agreement, which targets asylum seekers deemed “inadmissible” for consideration under the UK’s immigration laws, because they have travelled through safe third countries.

No flights have yet taken off and the scheme has been paused until the outcome of a judicial review assessing the legality of the proposals.

Britain was previously part of an EU-wide deal that allowed asylum seekers to be sent to other countries deemed responsible for their claims, but the mechanism was lost during Brexit and has not been replaced.

Under British law, people must be present in the UK in order to claim asylum but there is no visa to reach the country for that purpose.

Experts, charities and parliamentary committees have called for the government to set up more safe and legal routes that would provide an alternative to Channel crossings.

The Independent understands that the Royal Navy is likely to transfer operational primacy back to the Home Office following a review in January.

The Navy saw its primary aim as securing the border and ensuring no boats reached land undetected, but Home Office officials repeatedly claimed the operation would act as a “deterrent” against Channel crossings.

A government spokesperson said: “The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable. Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they risk the lives of vulnerable people, who are being exploited by ruthless criminal gangs.

“Our new Nationality and Borders Act is breaking these evil criminal’s business model, through tougher sentences for those who facilitate illegal entry into the country.

“Under our new Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda, we are continuing preparations to relocate those who make these unnecessary and illegal journeys, helping to save lives by deterring others from crossing.”