It was the highest number in a day since records began in 2018, topping 1,185 on a day last November. The Ministry of Defense said 27 vessels passed through on Monday. The latest figures come despite increasingly aggressive and costly policies from Priti Patel’s department. This year, he has struck a £120m deal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, asked Royal Navy vessels to rescue boats in UK waters and threatened to turn the boats around and send them back to France. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “It is clear that this government’s cruel and ugly plan to treat people as human cargo by sending them to Rwanda does absolutely nothing to stop people from feeling compelled to cross the English Channel. “That’s because these terrible plans fail to address the reasons people come in the first place. The very large number of people crossing the Channel are men, women and children fleeing war and oppression in countries such as Afghanistan and Syria and have no choice but to make desperate, terrifying journeys to safety. “The government’s own statistics show that three quarters of asylum cases are granted refugee protection here. These are people who have endured unimaginable danger and trauma and just want to be safe.” In Dover on Monday, the threats did not appear to stop people from seeking refuge in the UK. Babies and many other small children, some wrapped in blankets and wearing woolen hats, were among the people seen coming ashore. Lifejackets were pictured lying in piles on Kent dock after dinghies and other vessels were intercepted in the English Channel. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A pile of life jackets on the dock at Dover on Monday. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA The crossings came after a three-day break between Friday and Sunday, when no arrivals were recorded. So far this year, more than 22,600 people have arrived in the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small craft such as dinghies, the figures suggest. At the same point in 2021, the cumulative total was just under 12,500. Patel said the five-year trial signed in the spring with the Rwandan government would discourage asylum seekers from crossing the Channel. So far no asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda, which has already spent an initial £120m handed over by the UK. Patel and Boris Johnson have said Rwanda is a safe destination for people seeking asylum in the UK and that “tens of thousands” will fly 4,000 miles and be asked to make a new life in central Africa. But London’s high court heard this month that a Foreign Office official with experience in Rwanda raised concerns about torture and extrajudicial killings of political opponents of the regime. “There are structures of state control, security, surveillance from the national level down,” the official wrote. “Political opposition is not tolerated and arbitrary detention, torture and even murder are also acceptable methods of enforcing control.” A report by the home affairs committee last month found that the increase in crossings “can be attributed to intimidation by people smugglers that new regulations coming across the Channel will make it much more difficult to access the UK in the future. you better get on with it.” Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the two candidates to succeed Johnson as prime minister, said they would stick with the Rwanda plan. However, speculation is growing that Patel will be replaced in the Home Ministry under the new prime minister. The Home Office has been approached for comment.
