Record number of migrants arrive in UK by small boat

LONDON: The number of migrants arriving in Britain in small boats hit a record for a single day on Tuesday, as the rise in dangerous journeys across the English Channel continues despite British government plans to deport those arriving illegally to Rwanda.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said 1295 people in 27 boats were intercepted after making the crossing from the European mainland on Tuesday. The figure surpasses the previous daily record of 1185 set last November.

The summer surge happens most years, but is now larger than normal as alternative routes have been shut down. The rate of arrivals in the first eight months of this year is almost double that during the same period last year.

The outgoing Prime Minister

Boris Johnson had hoped that the threat of deporting people to Rwanda announced in April alongside other efforts, such as handing the navy the responsibility for intercepting migrants, would act as a deterrent to those arriving in dinghies and small boats.

Britain’s Refugee Council said the figures were ‘‘yet more evidence if needed that the government’s cruel Rwanda removals plan — supposedly a deterrent to dangerous Channel crossings — simply isn’t working’’.

Under an agreement struck in April, Britain will send tens of thousands of migrants who arrive on its shores illegally more than 6400km to the East African country.

The policy will be the subject of a legal challenge in London’s High Court in early September when a coalition of human rights groups and a trade union will argue that the Rwanda policy is unworkable and unethical.

In 2021, 28,526 people were detected arriving on small boats, with the highest number from Iran, followed by Iraq, Eritrea, and Syria.

So far this year, more than 22,000 migrants have come to Britain, with government officials warning 60,000 could arrive by the end of the year. — Reuters