London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

UK minister admits big fall in returns of boat arrivals since Brexit

UK minister admits big fall in returns of boat arrivals since Brexit

Just five people have been sent back this year, against 289 last year when UK was part of EU returns deal
The number of people who have been sent back to Europe after travelling to the UK across the Channel in small boats has plummeted since Brexit, an immigration minister has admitted to MPs.

Just five people who made the perilous journey from northern Europe have been returned so far this year, the home affairs select committee was told. In the previous year, when the UK was part of an EU returns deal, 289 such arrivals were deported, the minister said.

Tom Pursglove, a minister for the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, told the Commons home affairs committee on Wednesday that there had been “difficulties securing returns”.

Yvette Cooper, the committee’s chair, had asked “how many asylum seekers or how many people arriving” had been returned to any EU country since January.

Pursglove replied: “On returns related to small boat arrivals … the answer in this year is five.” Later he added: “There is not a returns agreement with the European Union in place at the moment.”

Before Brexit, the UK was part of an EU returns deal known as the Dublin agreement which the committee heard had allowed several hundred people to be returned in previous years.

When Cooper suggested returns were “substantially worse” since losing the agreement, Pursglove said the pandemic had also been a factor. “You will appreciate that there have been some difficulties around securing returns, not least as a consequence of Covid,” he said.

He insisted the “ambition remains to secure successful returns arrangements with our European friends and neighbours. And potentially with the European Union.”

More than 23,000 people have arrived in the UK this year after crossing the Channel in small boats. This is almost three times the total of about 8,500 in 2020.

There were 31,115 asylum claims made in the year ending in June, 4% fewer than in the previous year, Pursglove said.

He said small boats were becoming the transport of choice for “evil criminal gangs” – an expression he repeated on at least five occasions.

“The smugglers are becoming more audacious. We are seeing riskier behaviours. We are seeing bigger boats deployed. We are seeing a wider array of crossings originating from a wider stretch of coastline,” he said.

Pursglove said previously boats were being launched from about 30 miles of French coastline but now it was from a 120-mile stretch, and he described this as “troubling”.

Asked why repeated pledges by the home secretary, Priti Patel, that she would get the numbers under control had not been met, Pursglove said there had been “most definitely an improvement” in the prevention of small boat crossings.

“Clearly, the fact that we’ve had a fivefold increase in clandestine arrivals this summer compared with 2018 is completely unacceptable. We’ve got to do better on this. And I will not rest until we get to a far better place on this issue,” he said.

The Conservative MP Tim Loughton, a member of the committee, said there had been “similar undertakings” previously from politicians but the “situation has not improved”.

Pursglove reiterated plans to “render the route unviable” and said there was “not one single solution to this problem”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
×