Boat carrying migrants sinks in Channel

One person has died and another is in a critical condition in hospital after a boat carrying migrants sank in the English Channel.

Rishi Sunak has made tackling small boat Channel crossings a key priority. File pic

They were among at least 66 people on the inflatable dinghy which got into difficulty about fives miles (8km) off the northern French coast, according to the coastguard.

The survivors have been taken to Calais while a search is continuing by air and sea.

Rescuers reached the craft at about 1am local time and found one of the boat’s tubes was deflated and people were in the water.

Two of the migrants were found unconscious.

One in a life-threatening condition was airlifted to hospital by helicopter, while a second person could not be revived.

The rescue happened off the coast near Grand-Fort Philippe, 12 miles (20km) east of Calais.

Government minister Andrew Griffith said the latest tragedy underlined why the crossing was “not a safe route” and why Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was “cracking down on the terrible trade of people traffickers”.

Reacting to the incident on Sky News, Mr Griffith said: “All of these are tragic stories.

“It shows once again the importance of cracking down on the terrible trade of people traffickers in the Channel.

“It is not a safe route, it is not a safe crossing. People shouldn’t need to do that.

“It is why it is really important that the government is taking action… to absolutely remove the incentive, break the economic model of people smugglers, so that we can stop this terrible trade.”

Less than 1% of small boat arrivals returned home since 2020

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Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said: “It is obviously absolutely awful, heartbreaking news.

“One can barely imagine what it must have been like in the middle of the night with freezing cold water and the terror and fear for people on that vessel.

“And I think yet again this underlines really that the criminal people-smuggling gangs are putting individuals in absolutely appalling danger.

“They are profiting from this really disgracefully, and there needs to be far more done to break up those criminal people-smuggling gangs.”

Enver Solomon, chief executive officer of the Refugee Council, said: “This is yet another terrible and avoidable tragedy.

“These appalling deaths are becoming too common and there is an urgent need to put in place safe routes so people don’t have to take dangerous journeys across the world’s busiest shipping lane.

“People flee persecution and violence out of desperation, to find safety and protect their families.

“The government must take action now and respond in a compassionate way to prevent future tragedies and protect human life.”

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Mr Sunak has made tackling small boat crossings a key priority.

The Conservative leader won a critical vote this week at Westminster for emergency legislation aimed at reviving his controversial £290m plan to deport those entering the country illegally to Rwanda.

But he faces further opposition from hardliners on the Tory right, who want the draft law strengthened, while this will be resisted by party centrists, who have warned against breaking international law.

Mr Sunak has refused to say how soon flights to Kigali will take off if he gets the bill through the Commons and Lords, where it is also expected to face a rough ride.

At least 29,090 people have crossed to the UK aboard small boats so far this year, according to government data compiled and analysed by Sky News.

This is 35% lower than the same time in 2022, when 42,206 people had succeeded in making the dangerous journey.

Despite overall numbers of people making the life-threatening trip in 2023 being lower than last year, the number of people being packed aboard each boat has increased.

An average of almost 49 people have been found on board each boat that made it to the UK so far this year, up from 41 last year.

In a sign that smugglers are seeking to make more and more profit – at the expense of people’s safety – that number has rocketed in recent years, up from just 13 in 2020.