Another 40 migrants are brought ashore at Dungeness

2022-08-27

Channel crossings migrant total could top 25,000 for the year during this Bank Holiday weekend as RNLI bring another 40 including women and children ashore at Dungeness

Group brought in on a lifeboat before boarding a coach to a processing facility
Arrivals expected to be first of several boats making the crossing this weekend
As of Thursday, some 24,231 people had made the perilous crossing this year

The number of migrants to cross the Channel this year could hit 25,000 during the Bank Holiday weekend after the RNLI brought another group of people ashore today.

The crowd of about 40, which included women and children, were brought to Dungeness in Kent by lifeboat before they were packed onto a coach to a Home Office processing facility.

The arrivals are expected to be the first of several boats making the crossing as the weather stays calm in the Channel after no journeys were known to be made on Friday.

As of Thursday, 24,231 people had made the crossing this year with the possibility of the 25,000 milestone being reached during the bank holiday weekend.

The number of migrants to cross the Channel this year could hit 25,000 during the Bank Holiday weekend after the RNLI brought another group of people ashore today

The crowd of about 40, which included women and children, were brought to Dungeness in Kent by lifeboat before they were packed onto a coach to a Home Office processing facility

The arrivals are expected to be the first of several boats making the crossing as the weather stays calm in the Channel after no journeys were known to be made on Friday

As of Thursday, 24,231 people had made the crossing this year with the possibility of the 25,000 milestone being reached during the bank holiday weekend

Today’s arrivals come as it was revealed that the cost of the UK’s asylum system has topped £2 billion a year, with the highest number of claims for two decades and record delays for people awaiting a decision

Home Office spending on asylum rose by £756 million from around £1.4 billion in 2020/21 to £2.1 billion in 2021/22

A group of people thought to be migrants boarding a coach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard an RNLI Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel

Some 28,526 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2021 – compared to 8,410 who arrived in 2020, according to government figures

A group of people thought to be migrants boarding a coach after being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard an RNLI Lifeboat following a small boat incident in the Channel

A man thought to be migrant is brought in to Dungeness, Kent, onboard an RNLI Lifeboat

Home Office spending on asylum rose by £756 million from around £1.4 billion in 2020/21 to £2.1 billion in 2021/22. This is the highest on record and is more than double the amount spent in 2019/20, official figures showed.

The 63,089 applications in the year to June 2022 is also the highest number for any 12-month period since the year to June 2003 when 71,316 applications were made, according to the department.

Officials are understood to be working hard to reduce the backlog of outstanding asylum claims but are struggling to keep up with the number of new applications.

Some 28,526 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2021 – compared to 8,410 who arrived in 2020, according to government figures.

Natalie Elphicke MP for Dover said: ‘France have a moral and international obligation to protect vulnerable people, save lives, stop people smugglers and tackle organised crime. They should not need to be paid to do their duty.

‘It is even more ridiculous that we pay them tens of millions of pounds and get so little in return. This is a shocking waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned money.

‘Sorting out the small boats crisis must be a key priority of the next Prime Minister.’

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