THE UK coastguard has confirmed it is dealing with “multiple” small boats making the perilous journey across the Channel.
The response comes as the Prime Minister announced a one-in-one-out deal to return small boat migrants to France.
The UK Coastguard has been called to deal with ‘multiple’ small boats[/caption]
The deal, confirmed yesterday after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, will see just 50 migrants sent packing each week.
The PM hailed the “groundbreaking” returns’ scheme as “aggressive” – but admitted it was merely a pilot plan that would deal with just a fraction of the migrants trying to cross the Channel every day.
In a joint press conference with Macron yesterday, Sir Keir confirmed that in exchange for sending unlawful migrants back, the UK will accept asylum seekers from Calais who have “legitimate claims”.
Only those who haven’t tried to enter the country illegally before will be eligible for the scheme, which will come into force “in weeks”.
The PM hailed the plan as “hard-headed, aggressive action” and boasted that “previous governments tried and failed to secure results like this”.
But the agreement is the equivalent of just 2,600 returns annually (50 a week), compared with the 44,000 who have arrived since Labour took power a year ago.
And this year alone more than 21,117 migrants have crossed the Channel – a 56 per cent rise on the same period in 2024.
