#small-boat-crossings

#small-boat-crossings

We have a history of brilliant law enforcement cooperation to put the criminal smuggling gangs where they belong behind bars. This government will continue to work closely with international partners as we restore order and control to UK borders.

Our government says it wants to stop people from making dangerous and often deadly Channel crossings to seek sanctuary. But its approach is doing exactly the opposite. This government has already put family reunion applications on hold, now it wants to ban a small number of people from leaving conflict zones to continue their education and then claim asylum instead of being sent back into danger.

Hotels housing asylum seekers became a lightning rod this summer for political and community tensions over illegal migration, and over the dramatic increase in the number of migrants arriving in Britain on small boats. Large numbers of people are still being housed in these hotels, though the government has promised to end the practice by the end of this parliament, in 2029.

This is the first data that takes into account the huge rise in small boat crossings since March. A few months ago, some people inside the Home Office had been worried that hotel use could spike as a result. But that hasn't happened. The number of asylum seekers in hotels actually went slightly down between March and June. Ministers have been trying to find alternative sources of accommodation, like regular houses and flats within communities - but those numbers haven't gone up either.