Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Navy backs out of migrant patrols as over 20,000 migrants crossed English Channel this year

At least 20,000 people have illegally crossed the English Channel in small boats this year. 

Navy backs out of migrant patrols as over 20,000 migrants crossed English Channel this year

The Royal Navy will stop migrant patrols on January 31 next year and will hand over operational control to Border Force, according to a media report.

The Ministry of Defence has conveyed its plans in this regard to ministers, The Telegraph reported.


Currently, the Navy coordinates Border Force and Coastguard boats to rescue migrants and bring them ashore.

Meanwhile, government figures on Sunday (14) revealed that at least 20,000 people have illegally crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, almost double the number that had made the crossing last year at this point. 

In 2021, 28,526 people were detected arriving on small boats - with the highest number from Iran followed by Iraq, Eritrea and Syria. That was up from 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019, and 299 in 2018, contributing to the £1.5 billion annual cost of running Britain's asylum system.

The decision from the ministry comes only four months after prime minister Boris Johnson brought in the first Navy vessels to patrol the Channel. 

MPs had already raised concerns about using the Navy as a 'super taxi service' for migrants. They added that its ships should be used for other key military duties.

The new stand by the Navy will be a 'dilemma' for the incoming prime minister. Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have both said the Channel migrant crisis will be a top priority. 

They have pledged to pursue the Rwanda policy, and the favourite, Truss, has vowed to extend it to more countries.

“The Navy would need to continue to be involved in some way. The operation is taken much more seriously now they are involved," a Home Office source told The Telegraph.

“We need to show illegal immigration is being taken seriously. What kind of message would an ending of their involvement send to the traffickers?”

In April, the MoD was handed £50m by the government, with one 260ft offshore patrol vessel to support Border Force interceptions, six fast 45-knot training boats, and three rigid-hulled inflatables to shadow migrant boats and a Wildcat helicopter.

Last week, the ministry pulled the plug on an asylum camp at a base in North Yorkshire. Currently, the UK spends £3m a day on housing migrants in hotels. 

The first deployments of the vessels in Operation Isotope coincided with Johnson unveiling plans to deport Channel migrants to Rwanda to claim asylum. However, the plan has so far been stymied by the courts.

Tobias Ellwood, the chairman of the Commons defence committee, said that the deployment of the Navy was to distract from the failure to stem the Channel migrant surge.

“The Navy is being sucked into an operation they should never have been involved in. This is not their terrain – this is Home Office, Coastguard, Border Force terrain. Secondly, our Royal Navy is absolutely overstretched at this critical time. It is preventing a whole series of other duties," Ellwood was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

Tony Smith, an ex-Border Force director general, said he would have preferred the Army taking a role, exploiting its logistical capability to build processing centres.

A spokesperson for the UK government recently insisted that a strategy was needed to stop people "making dangerous, unnecessary and illegal journeys".

Britain argues that 90 per cent of the asylum seekers who make the journey are men, many of them economic migrants rather than genuine refugees.

More For You

Modi & Trump

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House on February 13, 2025.

Reuters

Trump greets Modi on 75th birthday, trade talks continue in Delhi

Highlights:

  • Both leaders reaffirm commitment to India-US partnership
  • Trade talks resume in New Delhi amid tariff tensions
  • India defends purchase of discounted Russian oil

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Tuesday called Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and greeted him ahead of his 75th birthday. The phone call sparked hopes of a reset in India-US ties, which had been under strain after Washington doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Forecasters say 30–40mm of rain is likely to fall widely

iStock

Met Office issues yellow weather warnings as heavy rain threatens flooding in 15 UK areas

Highlights:

  • Two yellow weather warnings issued for parts of Wales and the Midlands
  • Up to 70mm of rain expected, bringing risk of flooding, power cuts and travel delays
  • Flood alerts in place for rivers in Cumbria, Devon, Cornwall and Carmarthenshire
  • Residents advised to prepare emergency kits and stay updated with forecasts

Heavy rainfall set to cause disruption

The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings covering parts of Wales and the Midlands today, with forecasters warning of potential flooding, travel disruption and power cuts. Between 6am and 11am, persistent downpours are expected to sweep eastwards, bringing nearly a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours.

Areas under warning

South and southwest Wales are expected to be worst affected, with Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd and Powys in the Midlands also on alert. In Wales, warnings apply to Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Donald Trump and Melania Trump

Donald Trump and Melania Trump exit Air Force One after arriving at London Stansted Airport for a state visit on September 16, 2025 in Stansted, Essex.

Getty Images

UK rolls out royal welcome as Trump begins second state visit

Highlights:

  • Trump begins his second state visit to the UK with a royal welcome at Windsor Castle
  • Prince William, Catherine, King Charles and Queen Camilla take part in ceremony
  • State banquet and trade talks with prime minister Keir Starmer scheduled
  • Protests and security operation mark visit amid political challenges

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump began his unprecedented second state visit to Britain on Wednesday with a lavish welcome from King Charles and the royal family at Windsor Castle.

Keep ReadingShow less
11th UK Gatka Championship

All winners received medals and trophies

UK Parliament

11th UK Gatka Championship ends with Welsh debut and £1,000 support for Gatka Akharas

Highlights:

  • The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
  • Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
  • Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
  • Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.

Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut

The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.

Inauguration by global leaders

The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vantara

The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)

India court probe clears Ambani family’s animal centre

AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.

Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Keep ReadingShow less