People Smugglers Have Been Increasing the Number of Migrants Crammed Into Boats in Recent Months

A record 230 migrants arrived after crossing the Channel to the UK in a single boat on Monday. The “mega dinghy” left France overnight, arriving in Dover in the early hours. The number breaks the previous record from July when 165 people successfully made the crossing.

Small boats used to cross the Channel have been getting bigger as people smugglers use fewer crossings with more passengers to evade the French authorities. Small boat crossings to the UK this year are down compared to previous years, with around 14,000 making the journey between January and July. The number of migrants crammed onto a single dinghy has been increasing in recent months, and one dinghy carrying 173 people capsized in the Channel after its engine caught fire earlier in August.

French authorities said that 173 people were rescued by French vessels, helped by two British border force boats and an RNLI lifeboat. Responding on X on Monday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: At 2.30am this morning a boat carrying 230 people was taken into Dover. This is a record number in a single vessel.

It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency. A Home Office spokesperson said: This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels.