Migrant crossings across the English Channel are getting worse each day, according to GB News Home and Security Editor Mark White. While reporting live, he revealed that four more small boats were trying to reach the UK, showing that the crisis is far from slowing down.
“These boats are moving slowly, likely because they are full of migrants,” Mark said. “Each boat we saw yesterday carried over 70 people. Nearly 600 migrants arrived just yesterday.”
He warned that the situation could get even worse in the coming months. July through October usually brings calm waters, which makes it easier for boats to cross. “This is just the beginning,” he added.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently admitted that the Channel situation is getting worse, something many people already see for themselves. While French police have started using stronger tactics like teargas and pepper spray to stop migrants from gathering on beaches, crossings still continue.
There’s also growing uncertainty around the UK and France’s proposed “pushback” policy, which plans to send small boats back to shore. Although it’s expected to launch soon, it is already facing a legal challenge in French courts. This could delay or even cancel the plan completely—similar to what happened with the UK’s Rwanda deportation plan.
Mark White questioned whether the pushback strategy would even work: “Even if boats are pushed back, migrants will just return to their camps and try again another day.”
Meanwhile, the UK and France are preparing to announce a new migrant deal during French President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming state visit. The deal is expected to include a “one in, one out” policy, where the UK will take a number of French-based migrants in exchange for France accepting some migrants who arrive by small boat.
But the plan is already being criticized. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said, “We pay the French half a billion pounds to wave the boats off from Calais, and in return we get a migrant merry-go-round.”
As legal and political battles continue, the boats just keep coming—and the migrant crisis in the Channel shows no sign of slowing down.