120 migrants in three boats were brought to Dover yesterday by Border Force. The French authorities took a further 37 people back to northern France after they got into difficulty in French waters.

221 migrants in four boats were brought to shore by Border Force yesterday - some arriving as the Labour leader was outlining his plans to reduce crossings.

Latest Home Office figures show more than 9,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats this year. 211 people arrived yesterday, taking the total to 9,037. That’s a rise of 35% on the same period last year. There have been further crossings today.

211 migrants on three boats were brought to shore yesterday. It’s thought four boats have made the crossing today.

It’s thought three boats carrying just under 200 migrants have been brought to shore so far today.

The number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in Kent has risen by 59% in a year, as the county council warns it is at risk of being ‘overwhelmed’.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Europe’s most-wanted migrant smuggler found. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Keir Starmer to unveil Labour plan to tackle small-boat crossings. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…

Labour says it will use new counter-terrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs bringing migrants across the Channel in small boats, if it wins the next election.

Natalie Elphicke apologises for comments about ex-husband's victims. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…

The Folkestone and Hythe Constituency Labour Party says it’s ‘shocked and appalled’ that Natalie Elphicke has been accepted as an MP within the Labour Party: ‘We believe that she is a toxic and divisive figure who has no place in the Labour Party.’

36 migrants in a single boat were brought to Dover yesterday - on the day the local MP Natalie Elphicke defected to Labour, saying Rishi Sunak was failing to keep the UK’s borders secure.

Search off Hastings stood down after investigations found the wreckage was from a sailing vessel that went aground at Seaford Head in East Sussex on 19th April. Both people on board made it to land safely.

The debris is believed to be from a pleasure boat.

It’s not clear at present what sort of vessel has been spotted.

The Coastguard says it’s coordinating the response to a report of parts of a vessel found in waters south of Hastings. A Coastguard search-and-rescue helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft have been sent, as well as the Hastings lifeboat.

The Home Office has abandoned its short-lived experiment of publishing data on how many small-boat crossings were prevented by the French authorities. On Tuesday, Border Force brought 116 people on two boats to Dover.

Elphicke: ‘From small boats to biosecurity, Rishi Sunak’s government is failing to keep our borders safe and secure. Lives are being lost in the English Channel while small boat arrivals are once again at record levels. It’s clear they have failed to keep our borders secure.’

Tory MP Natalie Elphicke has defected to Labour, hitting out at the ‘broken promises of Rishi Sunak's tired and chaotic government.’

More border issues. bbc.co.uk/news/business-…