London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 31, 2025

UK Rwanda asylum plan under fire as rising numbers cross Channel

UK Rwanda asylum plan under fire as rising numbers cross Channel

MoD says 696 people made journey in small boats on Monday, as concerns grow over government response

The number of people crossing the Channel in small boats to seek refuge in the UK hit a daily record for the year so far on Monday, as Border Force staff braced themselves for thousands more arrivals this summer.

The Ministry of Defence said 696 made the journey in 14 small boats on Monday. There were 460 arrivals on Saturday and 247 on Friday, with more than 1,000 people crossing last week.

In July, 3,683 people crossed from France. The total for this year is believed to be more than 17,000.

The figures came amid reports of growing concern over plans to stem the number of boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel.

Critics of the government’s Rwanda policy have seized on the latest figures as evidence that there has been no deterrent effect upon asylum seeker numbers, as claimed by government ministers.

Paul O’Connor, the head of bargaining for the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union – which represents Border Force staff – said: “These statistics seriously undermine the government’s claim that their policy of deporting people to Rwanda acts as a deterrent. It’s time for the government to drop the scheme and switch to an asylum system based on humanity, not hostility.”

Defence chiefs are also said to be fed up with trying to enact the prime minister and home secretary’s rapidly imploding plan of using the military to control small boats in the Channel.

Home Office sources have admitted the UK could receive up to 60,000 people by small boat this year – double last year’s record – with another 20,000 arriving by different routes.

Both candidates vying to become the next Conservative party leader, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, have promised to push ahead with the Rwanda plan if elected.

On Tuesday, large groups of recent arrivals, including young children, were seen being brought ashore in Ramsgate before leaving the Kent port on doubledecker buses.

In April, the government announced plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of a five-year trial.

Johnson, with the support of the home secretary, Priti Patel, claimed the plan would “over time prove a very considerable deterrent”.

But the deal has been heavily criticised for failing to curb the numbers, as well as being expensive and in breach of human rights laws. Since it was signed, 11,827 asylum seekers have arrived in the UK.

The first deportation flight was blocked after a late intervention by the European court of human rights.

The home affairs committee last month found there was “no clear evidence” that the UK’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would stop risky Channel crossings.

A recent Home Office report said the Border Force may have made the small boats crisis worse.

Commissioned by Patel, it concluded that the resources required to prevent illegal entry to the UK by small boats crossing the Channel were “not sustainable”.

Alex Downer, the former leader of Australia’s Liberal party, who carried out the review, criticised “a cycle of crisis management” in the final report. Patel welcomed its “constructive recommendations”.

The Rwanda deal cost an initial £120m, much of which the Rwandan government has already spent. The payment does not include the costs of flights, housing for five years or other benefits given to anyone relocated in the central African state.

Several asylum seekers, the PCS union and charities including Care4Calais and Detention Aid are challenging the legality of the policy, with court hearings set for September and October.

A government spokesperson said: “The Nationality and Borders Act makes it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and we have introduced life sentences for those who facilitate illegal entry into the country. Since the introduction of the act, 23 people have been arrested.

“Under our migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda, we are continuing preparations to relocate those who are making dangerous, unnecessary and illegal journeys into the UK in order for their claims to be considered, for them to be able to rebuild their lives and deter others from making life-threatening crossings.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
King Charles Strips Prince Andrew of Titles and Royal Residence
Trump–Putin Budapest Summit Cancelled After Moscow Memo Raises Conditions for Ukraine Talks
Amazon Shares Soar 11% as Cloud Business Hits Fastest Growth Since 2022
Credit Markets Flooded with More Than $200 Billion of AI-Linked Debt Issuance
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Says China Made 'a Real Mistake' by Threatening Rare-Earth Exports
Report Claims Nearly Two Billion Dollars in Foreign Charity Funds Flowed into U.S. Advocacy Groups
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Meta Seeks Dismissal of Strike 3’s $350 Million Copyright Lawsuit
Apple Exceeds Forecasts With $102.5 Billion Q3 Revenue Despite iPhone Miss
Israel's IDF Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Admits to Act Amounting to Aiding Hamas During Wartime (Treason)
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
×