Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Illegal Channel crossings reach new single-day record; favourable weather likely reason

1,295 migrants travelled from France to the UK in 27 small boats, surpassing the previous 24-hour record of 1,185

Illegal Channel crossings reach new single-day record; favourable weather likely reason

The number of migrants crossing the English Channel to British shores reached a record single-day high this week bringing the spotlight back on the UK’s deportation plans.

The Ministry of Defence said 1,295 migrants crossed the Channel from northern France in 27 small boats on Monday, surpassing the previous 24-hour record of 1,185 registered on November 11 last year.

There would be a usual surge in the number of crossings during summers but Monday’s record was attributed to favourable weather conditions.

With this, the number of migrants making dangerous journeys along the busy shipping route reached 6,273 in August so far, the second highest for a month after last November’s figure of 6,878.

The illegal movement of migrants across the Channel has been a bone of contention between the UK and France as they have blamed each other for not doing enough to check the crossings.

Some 22,670 people illegally crossed the Channel this year, bringing the number closer to the full-year figure of 28,526 recorded in 2021.

According to a Home Office estimate, 60,000 to 65,000 migrants could arrive in the UK by the sea route by the end of the calendar year - more than double the 28,526 who crossed last year.

Lucy Moreton, a professional officer with the ISU union, said the migrants crossing the Channel were mainly Albanians and noted that security staff were facing increasing violence.

“That tends to go with the nationalities,” she told The Telegraph.

“There are a lot of young males. A lot of prison tattoos and prison haircuts. I have had two staff attacked in the last week and three bitten, bruised but no skin broken,” Moreton said.

Britain inked a deal with Rwanda in April this year, under which tens of thousands of migrants who arrived on UK shores illegally would be sent to the east African country.

However, the first planned deportation flight in June was blocked by a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.

A legal challenge to the Rwanda policy brought by human rights groups will be heard by London's High Court next month.

More For You

Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,  on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump nominates Harmeet Dhillon for top Department of Justice role

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American attorney Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Keep ReadingShow less
Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)
Brella's body was discovered in the boot of a car in Ilford, east London, on 14 November. (Photo: Northamptonshire Police)

Harshita Brella case: Marriage, abuse, and a tragic end

HARSHITA BRELLA, a 24-year-old woman living in Corby, Northamptonshire, was found dead in the boot of a car on 14 November.

Her husband, Pankaj Lamba, is suspected of killing her and is believed to have fled to India.

Keep ReadingShow less