Britain’s struggling immigration strategy has been exposed with only five of 24,000 small-boat refugees returned to Europe, a government minister has said.
Despite spending millions on preventive measures including £54 million ($72.7m) to enlist the help of French border police, the UK’s post-Brexit migrant policy is under severe pressure, members of Parliament were told in Wednesday.
A record number of asylum seekers are crossing the English Channel from France, some willing to pay €4,000 ($4,526) to people smugglers to make the hazardous boat trip.
Despite Britain introducing drones, reconnaissance aircraft, more patrol boats and paying for 200 French police officers to help prevent the crossings, the policy appears to have failed, the Home Affairs committee heard.
Having admitted that there had been a record increase in small boat crossings with 24,000 this year, Tom Pursglove, the Immigration Minister, was asked from those numbers how many had been returned to any European Union country since January.
“The answer in this year is five,” he replied, looking embarrassed. He had earlier stated that in 2020, before the Brexit deal, it was 294.
“Do you have any agreement in place with the EU for those returns?” asked chairwoman Yvette Cooper, a Labour MP.
“There is not a returns agreement with the European Union in place at the moment,” admitted Mr Pursglove.
Ms Cooper referred to the previous Dublin Arrangement that helped return hundreds of migrants to the EU before Brexit. The minister described Dublin merely as "a panacea”.
“Indeed, but it was returning several hundreds of people and now it's just five,” Ms Cooper interrupted.
With a bilateral agreement with France unlikely, particularly given its increasingly acrimonious relationship with the UK, any migrant returns deal will likely be an EU-wide arrangement.
That will inevitably become entangled in the current renegotiation of the Brexit trade deal with Britain threatening to trigger Article 16 over the Northern Ireland protocol.
However, Mr Pursglove argued that returns, as well as quickly processing asylum claims, would be speeded up once Parliament passed the Nationality and Borders Bill.
But the current figures make difficult reading for Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has vowed to clamp down on uncontrolled immigration, which was one of the main reasons many people voted for Brexit.
Her position appeared further undermined on Monday after a contradictory joint statement with her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin. He suggested that the only way to “prevent 100 per cent of crossings” was to reduce “the attractiveness of the UK for migrants”.
The committee also heard that smugglers were “becoming more audacious” and expanding their launching sites from 50km to 200km of European coastline.
Currently, refugees fleeing the regime in Iran make up the highest proportion of nationalities crossing by small boat at 29 per cent, followed by Iraqis (18 per cent) and Syrians (9 per cent). However, Mr Pursglove did admit that Afghans escaping Taliban control were soon likely to make the hazardous 22-mile crossing in winter.
“It is a fact that we are seeing an Afghan cohort reflected in our small boat arrivals,” he said.
Ms Cooper suggested that more Afghans were making the crossing because Britain has stopped accepting the majority of their visa applications, giving them “no safe legal route to rejoin family once they have fled persecution in Afghanistan”.
Dan O’Mahoney, the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, told the committee that 19,000 crossings had been prevented by the French authorities this year and his task force had arrested 400 smuggling “facilitators”.
But he admitted that it remained a highly lucrative business for criminal gangs, giving the example of a large boat with 88 people on board, which would have netted €352,000 for the organisers.
The committee also heard that the use of giant wave machines to sink small boats had been comprehensively ruled out.
However, Mr Pursglove conceded that the government “reserves the right to proceed with an offshore processing arrangement” using a third country to process asylum seekers under new legislation. In the last year Denmark, the island of St Helena, Rwanda and Albania have been speculatively linked to this role.
Film: In Syria
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Verdict: Four stars
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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