Migrants scramble onto dinghy as they attempt to cross the Channel just days after Burnham and Macron vow to tackle small boats crisis
Migrants were pictured wading into the sea and boarding a dinghy at Petit-Fort-Philippe, near Gravelines in northern France, in a fresh attempt to cross the Channel to Britain, days after Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron pledged joint action against the small boats crisis. It is unclear whether the vessel was intercepted, but the images highlight the continuing scale of the problem despite the political commitments and come hours after a masked mob linked to the hard-Right blockaded the Port of Dover in protest.
Burnham and Macron met at No 10 this week to announce a British-funded "surge team" of French police aimed at tackling "mega-dinghies" capable of carrying up to 230 migrants, though officials confirmed this amounts to just 45 extra officers, prompting Conservative criticism that the plan is a "joke". While overall summer crossings have fallen to their lowest level since 2019, smugglers appear to be compensating by packing more people onto fewer, larger boats. Separately, hundreds of protesters brought Dover to a standstill on Friday, causing four-mile tailbacks and missed ferries, while Nigel Farage has pledged to halt crossings within his first 100 days in government, alongside plans for an emergency Budget cutting £80billion in public spending.
In short
- Migrants boarded a Channel dinghy days after UK-France crossing pledge
- New Anglo-French "surge team" involves just 45 extra officers
- Masked protesters blockaded Dover port, causing major disruption
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the joint plan can argue that targeted French policing against larger smuggling boats may disrupt dangerous crossings and reduce the number of people put at risk, while cooperation with France addresses a problem that neither country can manage alone. They may also point to the fall in summer crossings as reason to build on existing efforts, while recognising that results take time.
The case against
Critics can argue that 45 additional officers are too few to deter well-organised smuggling networks, especially if those networks respond by using larger boats carrying more people. They may see the continuing attempts as evidence that political pledges need stronger enforcement and clearer results, and argue that the current approach does not adequately address public concerns about border control.
Explained simply
The English Channel is the stretch of sea between Britain and northern France. Some people seeking to reach Britain pay people-smuggling gangs to take them across in small, often overcrowded boats; the crossings can be dangerous, and French and British authorities try to prevent them.
Andy Burnham, a senior British politician, and French president Emmanuel Macron have discussed joint action, including extra French police to target larger boats used by smugglers. The debate involves border enforcement, the safety of people making the crossing and the work of criminal gangs.
Crossings have fallen this summer compared with recent years, but reports suggest some boats carry more people at once. The issue has also prompted protests in Dover and competing political promises about how to stop the crossings.