London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 15, 2026

Channel migrants: Nearly 1,000 people cross in single day

Channel migrants: Nearly 1,000 people cross in single day

Almost 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in 24 small boats on Saturday, the Ministry of Defence says.

It brings the total number of migrants making the journey from France so far this month to 6,395.

Government figures collated by the BBC show 39,430 people have crossed on small boats so far this year, compared with 28,461 who arrived in 2021.

Conditions at a migrant processing centre in Manston have been described as "wretched".

The Ministry of Defence said 990 people had made the crossing from France on Saturday.

David Neal, independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, visited the site at Manston Airport on Monday and warned it had already passed the point of being unsafe.

He told MPs he had written to the home secretary about the dangerous conditions at the centre, run by the Home Office.

It was designed for no more than 1,600 people but Mr Neal said there were 2,800 living there on the day he visited.

Manston immigration holding facility was designed to hold up to 1,600 people


Home Office officials told the Home Affairs Committee the nationality of those crossing the Channel was changing, with Albanians now the biggest group.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said she wants to use the Nationality and Borders Bill to prosecute many more migrants illegally arriving in Kent.

Ms Braverman also hopes to expand the stalled scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.


Manston's 'diphtheria outbreaks'


Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg programme: "What you've got to do is overhaul the whole system and take stronger action to prevent the dangerous boats crossing the Channel that are putting lives at risk.

She described condition at Manston as "appalling, with diphtheria outbreaks".

Ms Cooper said delays in processing arrivals had "created huge backlogs".

"We need a new agreement in place with France around the Channel crossings, and we need a significant increase in the activities of the National Crime Agency because we've got a proliferation of criminal activities in the Channel that has increased in the couple of years."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
UK Government Faces Growing Debate Over Local Control of Immigration Enforcement
UK Biodiversity Forum Highlights Business Need to Protect Natural Environment
UK Parliament to Consider Workplace Temperature Limits Amid Climate Concerns
UK Parliament Considers Independent Immigration Appeals Authority Proposal
BBC Charter Renewal Scrutiny Intensifies as Parliament Reviews Broadcaster’s Future
Parliament Reviews Future of UK Maternity and Neonatal Care Services
UK-India Trade Accelerator Launched to Help Smaller Firms Expand Into Indian Market
UK Business Leaders Meet in Edinburgh to Address Economic Risks From Biodiversity Loss
UK Parliament Prepares for Sir Keir Starmer’s Final Prime Minister’s Questions Before Leadership Transition
Green Party-Led Lewisham Council Moves Against Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Raids
UK Government Faces Parliamentary Pressure Over Capita Contracts in Shared Services Programme
UK Economy Expected to See Modest Growth as OECD Highlights Fiscal and Global Risks
Public Accounts Committee Warns UK Government’s Four Point Three Billion Pound Shared Services Plan Risks Failure
EU and UK Sign Agreement Removing Gibraltar Border Controls After Years of Post-Brexit Uncertainty
OECD Warns UK Must Maintain Fiscal Discipline as Andy Burnham Prepares to Become Prime Minister
UK-India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force as Businesses Seek New Growth Opportunities
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
On the Island That Did Not Yield to Trump, There Is No Electricity, and 10 Million Live in Darkness
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
Key Trends to Watch
United Nations Expert Calls for Full Implementation of Supreme Court Ruling on Legal Definition of Sex
Industry Coalition Urges Labour Lawmakers to Back Continued North Sea Oil and Gas Production
Parliamentary Committee Calls for Tougher Restrictions on Unhealthy Food Advertising
Government Expands Awaab's Law to Cover Heat and Additional Housing Hazards
Energy Regulator Opens Independent Investigation Into National Grid Operator
United Kingdom and European Union Sign Landmark Gibraltar Border Agreement
Chancellor Unveils Financial Services Reform and Artificial Intelligence Strategy at Mansion House
Counterterrorism Police Take Over Investigation Into Killing of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
Beer Industry Warns UK Rules Could Limit Growth of Alcohol-Free Market
Home Office Faces Legal Challenges Over Asylum Seeker Accommodation Closures
UK Heatwaves Linked to More Than Two Thousand Seven Hundred Deaths as Climate Debate Intensifies
Home Secretary Faces Pressure Over Political Security After Ann Widdecombe Murder Investigation
United Kingdom Opens Trade Consultation With Indonesia, Philippines, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay
Robert Jenrick Joins Reform UK After Leaving Conservative Party Leadership Role
Counter-Terrorism Police Take Over Investigation into Murder of Former MP Ann Widdecombe
Andy Burnham Secures Strong Labour Backing in Race to Succeed Keir Starmer
Global Markets Slide as Middle East Conflict Escalation Sends Oil Prices Higher
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Offers Condolences Following Death of Qatar’s Father Amir
UK Regional Innovation Policy Focuses on Research Clusters Across Scotland, Wales, and Northern England
UK Corporate Transparency Rules Set to Become More Strict Under Modern Slavery Reform Plans
UK Civil Service Estate Strategy Shifts Government Activity Away From London
UK Strengthens National Security Powers Through New Threat Designations
Greater Manchester Police Conduct Drink and Drug Driving Operations After Football Events
UK Government Advances Darlington Economic Campus With Construction Milestone
UK Authorities Increase Football-Related Security Operations After Tournament Fixtures
UK Invests Fifty-One Million Pounds in National Cryogenics Facility and Regional Innovation Hubs
UK Moves Toward Tougher Modern Slavery Reporting Rules With Corporate Penalties
UK Government Reports Forty-Three Million Pounds in Savings From Office Estate Reform
×