Migrants have attempted to cross the Channel to the UK for the first time since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
The crossings resumed after an 11-day hiatus, with several boats attempting the journey to the UK amid warm, sunny weather and calm sea conditions.
On Wednesday morning, migrants were seen racing to board a large vessel at Equihen-Plage near Boulogne-sur-Mer on France's north coast.
Footage showed the boat departing, with some individuals waving to others left behind in the water.
French authorities were seen distributing life jackets and attempting to rescue those in the sea.
Crowds of men, women, and children had gathered on the beach.
Police were observed preventing one family, including a baby, from boarding the boat.
Several vessels are believed to have already reached Dover, Kent.
It is the first time that crossings have taken place since Mr Burnham walked into Number 10 on Monday and decided during his Cabinet reshuffle that Shabana Mahmood would hold onto her job as Home Secretary.
She said it was an “honour” to remain in post and vowed to “finish the job” of trying to curb Channel crossings and reform the immigration system.
What is the data around small boats and what does it tell us?
Some 77,183 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel during Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership since Labour’s election victory in July 2024, PA analysis of government data shows.
According to Home Office figures, 12,469 arrivals have been recorded so far this year.
This is 47% lower than the number recorded by this time last year and down 21% on the same period in 2024.
No crossings have been recorded since July 10.
While migration experts confirm a decline in overall numbers, the precise reasons for this trend remain elusive, as human flows frequently fluctuate without clear explanation.
EU border officials attribute the reduction in onward journeys to partnerships forged in North Africa. However, experts caution that these agreements carry a significant human cost, with nearly 1,300 lives lost in the Mediterranean so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The Labour government has sought to curb arrivals by increasing payments to French police for enhanced enforcement to prevent departures from their shores. Additionally, a "one in, one out" scheme, which began in August 2025, has seen 1,087 individuals returned to France as of the end of June, though this represents a comparatively small number. Reports suggest France may end this programme in October to prioritise a broader European strategy for tackling irregular migration.
In April, Mahmood committed £662m to France over the next three years in an effort to reduce arrivals to the UK.
Approximately £160m of this funding is earmarked for new tactics, such as policing to intercept "taxi boats" picking up migrants offshore, with its release conditional on the success of French operations
The Home Office will confirm how many people made the journey on Wednesday, the first under the new Labour administration, in data published on Thursday.
Boats and engines seized by the NCA
Meanwhile, around 50 boats and engines destined for Channel people-smuggling gangs have been seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at the Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk.
At least 25 10-metre-long rubber boats – which could carry at least 80 people each – and 25 Parsun outboard engines were found by officers on Saturday in a container shipped from China.
It is said to be the first time a bulk consignment of its kind has been seized in the UK and may have disrupted an estimated 2,000 migrants’ crossing attempts.
Investigators believe the cargo was due to be delivered at the next stop in Hamburg, in Germany – a “well-known staging post” for boats and equipment used by Channel people smugglers in northern France and Belgium, the NCA said.
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