London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

New UK commander to tackle migrant boat ‘invasion,’ as record numbers reach British shores

New UK commander to tackle migrant boat ‘invasion,’ as record numbers reach British shores

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has appointed a former Royal Marine commando to stop migrants crossing the English Channel by boat. As hundreds of migrants land in the UK daily, Patel said her aim is to “make this route unviable.”

A former Royal Marine and veteran of combat in Iraq and Kosovo, Dan O’Mahoney will now be tasked with stemming the flow of migrants into Britain from France via the English Channel. O’Mahoney was appointed ‘Clandestine Channel Threat Commander’ by Home Secretary Priti Patel on Sunday, and is the first official to assume the new role.

“The number of illegal small boat crossings is appalling,” Patel said. “We are working to make this route unviable and arresting the criminals facilitating these crossings and making sure they are brought to justice.”

A mere 20 miles (32km) separates Britain and France at the narrowest point of the English Channel. A recent spell of warm weather – coupled with a slowdown in truck traffic through the Channel Tunnel – has seen hordes of migrants traverse the waterway in dinghies, pleasure craft, and kayaks.

On Thursday, 235 people landed on British shores in 17 different vessels, a record number in one day. The previous record was set a month earlier, when 202 people were caught by Border Force officers. More than 4,200 have arrived this year so far, with only 155 returned between January and April.

Immigration Minister Chris Philp has repeatedly denounced French authorities for failing to intercept the boats on their way out. Anti-immigration campaigners, meanwhile, have slammed the government for housing the migrants in hotels, with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage calling the accommodation policy a “soft touch,” and the boat landings a “shocking invasion.”



O’Mahoney will be responsible for arresting and prosecuting the human traffickers who organize many of the crossings, and for organizing interceptions and the return of boats to France.


Philp is set to meet his French counterparts next week, and will reportedly press the French to catch and fingerprint anyone attempting to cross the channel, so that they can be deported to their country of origin or detained for breaking the law.

“These crossings are not only dangerous and illegal, but totally unnecessary,” he wrote in a column on Saturday. “Migrants who set off from the shores of France have travelled through safe EU states with well-run asylum systems. The British people have been very clear they want to take back control of our borders and we must deliver.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×