11 h. ago It's not our fault! Ministers try to dodge blame as number of small

Keir Starmer was slammed for 'incompetence' over the handling of the Channel crisis.

Politics

16 h. ago If stopping the boats were simple, it would have happened by now

Editorial: With the number of people who have crossed the Channel on small boats since Keir Starmer came to power passing 50,000, it is a reminder that, during the election, Labour gave the impression it had a plan to fix the problem of irregular migration. But that is not to decry their efforts so far

Politics

18 h. ago Starmer accused of ‘abject failure’ as people smuggling arrests fall under Labour

National Crime Agency arrests for people smuggling went down last year, as the new Labour government promised more resources to target immigration crime.

Events

19 h. ago Labour minister says small boat Channel crossings 'unacceptable' as milestone passed

In Home figures described as "unacceptable" by Labour former home secretary Baroness Smith, it also emerged 474 migrants arrived by small boat on Monday alone

Politics

20 h. ago 50,000 migrants have crossed Channel on small boats since Labour took power

There have been 27,029 arrivals so far this year, which is 47% higher than at the same point of 2024.

Events

21 h. ago Over 50,000 small boat migrants cross Channel under Labour as Starmer fails to get a grip on crisis

Labour minister admits the number of small boat crossings under Starmer is ‘unacceptable’

Events

22 h. ago Kemi Badenoch proposes housing migrants in ‘camps’ as crossings near 50,000 under Labour

Kemi Badenoch has suggested placing asylum seekers currently housed in hotels into “camps”, as new Home Office figures reveal that almost 50,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Sir Keir Starmer took office.

Events

26 h. ago Minister admits government hasn’t tackled small boats crisis as crossings set to hit 50,000

Baroness Jacqui Smith insisted the number of people crossing the Channel was not the current government’s fault

Politics

45 h. ago Small boats migrants from Muslim countries pose sexual assault risk – Reform UK

The party’s only female MP claims a quarter of sexual assault convictions last year were committed by foreign nationals.

Events

3 d. ago Top Tory's fears for daughters over boat migrants... After a spate of asylum

Robert Jenrick's comments follow a nationwide series of protests by angry parents outside hotels being used to house asylum seekers.

Events

3 d. ago Moment small boat arrives at Gravelines beach to pick up migrants to take them illegally across to the UK

The rubber vessel (pictured) was seen off the French coast, just east of Calais, this morning, before heading off into the English Channel.

Events

4 d. ago  As Keir Starmer's UK government loses grip of the small boats crisis, here's how one Spanish resort deals with migrants

For, as the unwelcome visitors from north Africa tried to make a run for it, they were rugby tackled to the ground by ordinary holidaymakers in swimming trunks.

Events

4 d. ago So much for a deterrent! Hundreds more Channel crossings pushes total migrant arrivals since Labour's 'one in one out' deal with France past 400

More than 400 small boat migrants have arrived in the first two days of Labour's returns deal, dashing claims it would be a 'new deterrent'.

Economics

5 d. ago MP Rupert Lowe apologises after mistaking charity rowing crew for illegal migrants

The Independent MP, who won the Great Yarmouth seat for Reform UK before being ousted from the party, claimed yesterday that 'dinghies' were heading towards the Norfolk coast.

Events

5 d. ago Border Force search charity row boat mistaken for ‘illegal migrants’ by Rupert Lowe

A group of charity rowers were stopped and searched by a Border Force patrol boat after MP Rupert Lowe mistakenly identified them as “illegal immigrants” on social media.

Events

5 d. ago MP's embarrassing blunder after mistaking charity rowing team for 'illegal migrants'

After satisfying the coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued, but several hours later were contacted again by the coastguard

Events

5 d. ago Charity rowing crew mistaken for Channel migrants by Norfolk MP

After satisfying the coastguard that their boat was not carrying migrants, they continued.

Events

5 d. ago First migrants detained under new 'one in one out' deal with France to be deported within weeks

Multiple people are understood to have been detained under the new ‘one in, one out’ deal after crossing the English Channel

Economics

5 d. ago Spanish town bans Muslim religious festivals provoking a furious outcry as migrant tensions threaten to boil over after nearby town was rocked by riots

The controversial ban was passed in Jumilla, a town in the Murcia region with a population of around 27,000 - roughly 7.5 per cent of whom come from mostly Muslim countries.

Events

6 d. ago First people detained under ‘one in, one out’ deal before being sent back to France – UK politics live

Home secretary says the move ‘sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK’Keir Starmer has also issued a statement about the detention of small boat arrivals (see 9.58am) on his social media feed. He says:We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France. No gimmicks, just results.If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back.The transfers to immigration removal centres are under way as we speak, so we won’t provide operational details at this point that criminal gangs can simply use and exploit.But no-one should be in any doubt: anyone who arrives from now on is eligible for immediate detention and return.The pilot has now begun, so the first migrants who have arrived on the small boats are now in detention. We will then swiftly make the referrals to France and that process will now start to be able to return people to France.It’s the beginning of the pil...

Politics