Deaths of migrants crossing English Channel ‘truly awful’, says Home Secretary

The deaths of four migrants in the English Channel are “truly awful”, the Home Secretary has said.

Four people died after their boat capsized off the northern French coast near Boulogne-sur-Mer, where several people were reported as being in the water at around 4.30am on Friday morning.

According to the French coastguard, 63 migrants were rescued in an operation involving four ships and one helicopter, including a fishing vessel which picked up 14 of the people who got into trouble.

A further four people were taken by a medical team but could not be saved, the maritime prefecture added.

The surviving group of people were returned to Boulogne and attended to by emergency services.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on X, formerly Twitter: “The further loss of life in the Channel this morning is truly awful.

“My thoughts are with all those affected.

“Criminal gangs are making vast profit from putting lives at risk.

“We are accelerating action with international partners to pursue & bring down dangerous smuggler gangs.”

An HM Coastguard spokesman said assistance was offered to the French coastguard on Friday, adding: “An RNLI lifeboat from Dover and Border Force vessel were initially sent to provide support, but were not required to attend the scene.”

Latest Home Office figures show 62 people made the journey across the Channel from France to the UK in one boat on Thursday, taking the provisional total for 2024 to date to 14,120.

The reports come as five people including a child died trying to cross the English Channel from France to the UK on April 23.

Reacting to Friday’s incident, shadow home secretary James Cleverly said on X: “Reports of more deaths in the channel are a tragedy.

“As a country we must do everything in our power to stop the boats and put an end to this vile trade in human suffering.”

Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage posted: “4 deaths in the Channel this morning, the new Government had better start moving fast.”

Ms Cooper has launched a Border Security Command, which she described as Labour’s first priority on migration, designed to crack down on people-smuggling gangs orchestrating the crossings.

A commander for the unit is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.

It comes as the new Labour government immediately scrapped the Conservatives’ plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said this morning’s loss of life in the Channel highlights “the scale of the challenge” facing the new Government and called for safe routes to be opened to stop people taking “deadly risks”.

Mr Solomon also urged for co-operation agreements to be put in place with European countries to provide safe passage from France and trial the use of refugee visas.

“Preventing more deaths in the Channel which are now happening too often is a critical and urgent task,” he said.

“We need to bring an end to men, women and children who have fled war and oppression in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria and Iran being driven into the arms of the smuggling gangs by opening safe routes so refugees wanting to be with their families are not forced to take deadly risks.

“At the same time, there is much more the UK can do to address conflict and oppression in refugee producing countries.

“There are no quick fixes but over time, with the right combination of policies, it is possible to stop these tragic deaths. We stand ready to support our new Government in this.”

Amnesty International UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh also called for more cooperation between the French and UK governments to guarantee the right to seek asylum on each of their territories, otherwise “desperate people will continue to take dreadful risks”.

Mr Deshmukh added: “This tragedy is yet another reminder that the new Government needs to go beyond talk of ‘smashing the gangs’ by urgently setting up safe asylum routes so people can avoid perilous journeys at the hands of people smugglers.”