Migrants brought to shore after crossing English Channel

Migrants have been brought to shore after crossing the English Channel, the first arrivals following a spell of bad weather.

Pictures show people wearing life jackets arriving in Dover on a Border Force vessel on Friday, after a period of windy conditions.

These are the first crossings since Sunday, when 59 people were recorded as arriving in one boat, according to Home Office figures, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 25,244.

Following latest data released on Thursday, the total for the year so far is down 0.3% on this time last year (25,330) and 25% lower than the same period in 2022 (33,611).

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

“As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay.

“We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.”

Elsewhere, the UK and other G7 nations agreed an anti-smuggling action plan designed to boost cooperation on the issue following talks in Italy.

The Home Office said this includes joint investigations and intelligence-sharing in a bid to target criminal smuggling routes.

The action plan also details “working collaboratively” with social media companies to monitor the internet and different platforms to prevent them being used to enable migrant smuggling and people trafficking.

This includes calling on social media companies “to do more to respond to online content that advertises migrant smuggling services”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Criminal smuggling gangs who organise small boat crossings undermine our border security and put lives at risk.

“Our new Government is rapidly accelerating cooperation with other countries to crack down on these dangerous gangs.

“Today’s newly agreed G7 action plan provides an important focus on international law enforcement and reflects our determination to work with global partners on these shared challenges.

“New international joint investigative teams will help coordinate cross-border action and supplement the measures we have already taken to set up the UK Border Security Command and back it with new funding.

“The plan will help to increase both voluntary and enforced returns of migrants to countries of origin. It aims to offer migrants more choices and improve the overall management of migration flows.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...