Record 230 Migrants Cross Channel to UK

A record 230 people crossed the English Channel to the UK on a single small boat, highlighting the increasing use of larger vessels by people smugglers. The boat, approximately 15 metres long, arrived in the UK after being intercepted by British authorities.

The number of small boat crossings has fallen by more than 40% compared to the same period last year, with provisional figures showing 14,819 people have crossed the English Channel so far this year from France. This represents a 43% decline compared to January to mid-July last year.

The UK government has condemned the 'reckless and dangerous tactics' employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings. The interior ministry stated that these gangs continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels.

The UK government has struck a deal with Germany to increase seizures of traditional dinghies and engines 'upstream', and has signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40 percent more boots on the ground on French beaches. The previous record for a single boat was 165 people, set last month.

## Context The increasing use of larger vessels, or 'mega-dinghies', demonstrates how quickly people smugglers have adapted to stronger enforcement by French police on beaches in northern France. The emergence of mega-dinghies coincided with the announcement of the UK-France “one in, one out” deal, under which a person arriving in the UK from France by small boat can be returned in exchange for another person being brought legally to the UK to claim asylum.

The UK government has vowed to continue efforts to reduce small boat crossings, with the Home Office stating that they are making progress, but must go further. The use of mega-dinghies has raised concerns about the safety of those attempting to cross the Channel, with a dinghy carrying 173 people capsizing in the Channel after its engine caught fire earlier this month.