Hundreds of migrants who gathered on Gravelines beach near Calais were teargassed by French police early on Tuesday as they rushed towards a single dinghy waiting offshore to cross to the UK.
Witnesses said officers stood by as tear gas canisters and pepper spray were fired into the crowd, forcing families with small children to choke and sputter in waist‑deep water before fleeing back to shore.
The dramatic scenes came just hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in Canada, where Downing Street described the Channel situation as “deteriorating.”
Official Home Office figures show that more than 16,300 people have reached Britain in small boats so far this year, a 43 percent increase on the same period in 2024. Friday’s crossings did not set a daily record but underlined a sharp upward trend.
Migrants said they arrived at dawn and waded into the cold water to board the dinghy, waiting up to an hour as French officers fired gas. One man carrying a small child was chased by a cloud of smoke, while another older migrant on crutches was carried to safety by companions.
Despite the gas, at least 50 people eventually made it aboard the boat, which then drifted out to sea before being brought back to shore about ninety minutes later. Other migrants, including women believed to be Ethiopian, watched in frustration as men filled most of the available space.
Downing Street has warned that there are “no quick fixes” but insisted that the UK’s cooperation with France is at its closest. A No 10 spokesman said Britain was the first government to secure French agreement to review laws so that border teams can intervene in shallow waters—even if migrants have already entered the sea.
Ministers say tougher measures, including new legislation in the forthcoming Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill and enhanced joint operations, will send a clear message that Britain will no longer be a “soft touch” for people‑smuggling gangs.