Attempted small boat Channel crossings hit a record high for
January, new figures have revealed.
While fresh data shows there were 1,335 arrivals to Britain
throughout January, exceeding the January 2022 totals of 1,180,
several individuals were also taken back to the French coast by
authorities.
Across the month, some 333 migrants were rescued by the French
authorities after difficulties during their early crossing. In
addition, five individuals sadly died on the French side of the
Channel on 13 January.
Therefore, the total number of individuals who have attempted to
cross the Channel in the freezing and dangerous January
conditions, 2024 has seen the highest total on record, with 1,668
individuals taken to shore on either side of the Channel.
This overtakes the previous high in January 2022, with 1,649
rescued on the two sides combined.
Previous years saw 282 migrants rescued on the French side of the
Channel in January 2023, and 310 rescued in January 2022, in
addition to which there was one fatality.
, Labour’s Shadow
Immigration Minister, said:
“Despite more than a year of promises to stop the boats, Rishi
Sunak’s plan simply isn’t working.
“The Prime Minister wasted all his time and effort on a Rwanda
gimmick that he knows won’t solve the problem. It’s time for the
Tories to get a grip and do the hard graft.
“That’s why Labour’s plan to go after the criminal smuggling
gangs that have taken hold on Britain’s border is so important.
We need a crackdown on the criminals running this vile trade,
with a new cross-border police unit, and a beefed-up returns unit
to remove those with no right to be here.”
Ends
Notes:
Home Office data on migrants detected crossing the English
Channel:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats-last-7-days
Details of individuals rescued in the Channel and brought back to
the French coast can be found at this link: https://www.premar-manche.gouv.fr/.
This shows rescues of 218 individuals between 12-14 January (in
addition to the five fatalities on 13 January), followed by 46 on
17 January and 69 on 31 January.
Labour’s five-point plan to reform the asylum system:
-
Crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs, through new
Cross-Border Police Unit and deeper security cooperation with
Europe
A Labour Government would crackdown on criminal smuggler gangs by
introducing stronger powers for the UK’s National Crime Agency to
restrict the movement of those suspected of being involved in
people smuggling and setting up a new cross-border police unit
with officers based in the UK and across Europe to tackle gangs
upstream.
That would include officers being posted directly to Europol to
collaborate on joint investigations and to identify and seize
boats upstream. Labour will also seek to negotiate a new security
agreement with Europe, including a replacement to SIS-II, to
allow for the real-time sharing of intelligence on people
smuggling suspects. To fund this, Labour would redirect spending
from the unworkable Rwanda scheme, which the government has
admitted is subject to a very high risk of fraud.
-
End hotel use, clear the Tory asylum backlog, and speed
up returns to safe countries
Labour will save the taxpayer billions by ending the use of
hotels for asylum seekers within 12 months and setting up a new
returns unit for safe countries. Labour will recruit over 1,000
Home Office caseworkers to clear the record Tory asylum backlog,
and a further 1,000 staff for a new returns unit so that those
who do not have a right to stay here can be quickly removed, and
we end the use of costly hotels at the taxpayers’ expense. Labour
will fast track decisions on applications from safe countries,
like India and Albania, which are unlikely to be granted; and
establish a new returns unit to reverse the 50% collapse in
asylum removals that the Tory Government has overseen since 2010.
-
Reform resettlement routes to stop people being
exploited by gangs
Labour would redesign the existing resettlement schemes which are
not currently working properly so that they include a clearer
process for refugees with family connections in the UK to be
considered for resettlement, preventing them being exploited by
criminal gangs or making dangerous journeys.
-
New agreement with France and other countries on
returns and family reunion
Labour would negotiate a new agreement which includes safe
returns and safe family reunions for child refugees.
-
Tackle humanitarian crises at source helping refugees
in their region
Labour would work in partnership internationally to address some
of the humanitarian crises that are leading people to flee their
homes including restoring the 0.7% aid commitment when the fiscal
situation allows and strengthening support for the people of
Afghanistan, currently the largest group trying to cross the
Channel.
