"Some 25,700 people have risked their lives in these most dangerous shipping lanes this year alone. The government have already spent more than £200 million of taxpayers’ money on deals with the French authorities that are not working. The situation is getting worse."
This was a summary of the UK's current migrant channel crossing situation made in a House of Commons debate yesterday by the shadow home secratary Nick Thomas-Symonds. As this infographic shows, the number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats has tripled in 2021 - something which home secretary Priti Patel has described as "unacceptable", and blaming a "global migration crisis" for the current levels.
The government's solution to the issue is part of its 'New Plan for Immigration', which would allow the eligibility of asylum applications to be partly assessed based on the method by which the person entered the country. A number of charities have spoken out against this planned deterrent, which MPs are now considering.
Commenting on the plan earlier this year, the Refugee Council said: "The government is seeking to unjustly differentiate between the deserving and undeserving refugee by choosing to provide protection for those fleeing war and terror based on how they travel to the UK. The reality is that, when faced with upheaval, ordinary people are forced to take extraordinary measures and do not have a choice about how they seek safety."
