Government under fresh pressure to tackle Channel crossings after six die

More than 500 migrants were detected in small boats off British shores on Saturday, new figures show, as six people died after a vessel sank in the early hours. ITV News' Charlotte Cross reports

The government is under renewed pressure to tackle the crisis of migrant crossings in the Channel following the deaths of six people after a boat sank off the coast of France.

Campaigners described the incident as an “appalling and preventable tragedy” while MPs called for action to stop criminal gangs profiting from the dangerous journeys.

Some 59 people were rescued by British and French coastguards on Saturday after an overloaded vessel carrying migrants got capsized near Sangatte. Two people may still be missing at sea.

At least 22 people were dropped off at Dover by UK crews, while 36 were taken to the port of Calais on a French boat, France’s Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said.

Six people were recovered in a serious condition with one, who was evacuated by helicopter to hospital in Calais, later pronounced dead. An updated statement said the other five, who were taken in by boat, also died.

According to the accounts of survivors, around 65 or 66 had originally boarded the boat, France’s Maritime Prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea said.

A statement from the French authorities suggested it had been one of a number of migrant vessels which set off in hopes of reaching the UK coast.

Reports suggest most onboard were from Afghanistan and some were Sudanese.

On the same day, a total of 509 people crossed the English Channel in 10 boats, the latest Home Office figures show.

The figures take the provisional total for the past three days alone to more than 1,600, with more than 16,600 having made the journey so far this year.

They mark a further setback for the Government’s “stop the boats” pledge, which is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s five key priorities for his leadership. More than 100,000 people have now made the journey since 2018, according to the figures.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman chaired a meeting with Border Force officials later on Saturday morning, describing the incident as a “tragic loss of life”.

But Labour said the tragedy demonstrates the "chaos" in the asylum system.

"The government are all about chasing headlines and looking at gimmicks," said Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. "What's most important is serious action to bring down the backlog, to process cases quickly and also to take action on the criminal gangs."

Writing in the Sunday Express, Conservative backbencher and former party chairman Sir Jake Berry said: “We must put a stop to the vile people smugglers who trade in human misery and whose actions result in the loss of life.”

Meanwhile shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said action to deter criminal gangs facilitating the journeys was “desperately” necessary.

Care4Calais said the incident was an “appalling and preventable tragedy” while the Refugee Council warned “more people will die” unless more safe routes to the UK are created.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman described the incident as a “tragic loss of life” and said she had chaired a meeting with Border Force officials later on Saturday.

It comes after the government was accused of allowing its “small boats week” of linked announcements on immigration to descend into farce following the removal of dozens of asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Senior Conservative backbencher David Davis said the “startling incompetence” of the Home Office had been revealed after all 39 on board the 500-capacity vessel were disembarked due to the discovery of Legionella bacteria in the water supply.

However, ministers intend to push on with plans to hire more barges to house asylum seekers, as well as student halls and former office blocks, The Telegraph reported.

The people who had been on the Bibby Stockholm, which had been billed as a cheaper alternative to expensive hotels for those awaiting the outcome of their claims, are now back being housed in alternative accommodation.

The Home Office has said the health and welfare of asylum seekers “remains of the utmost priority” and that the evacuation took place as a precautionary measures with all protocol and advice followed.

Home Office figures show 755 crossed the Channel in small boats on Thursday – the highest daily number so far this year – confirming the total since 2018 has passed 100,000.

Some 343 people in six boats were detected crossing on Friday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to more than 16,000.

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