Government ‘devoid of compassion and competence’ over English Channel crossings as numbers double

22 May 2021: Independent: Exclusive: Netherlands and Sweden join list of EU countries saying they will not agree to take asylum seekers from UK

The number of migrants crossing the English Channel has doubled year on year despite Priti Patel’s vow to make the route “unviable”, The Independent can reveal.

More than 3,000 men, women and children have made the trip in small boats since January, up on around 1,400 during the same period in 2020, despite ministers paying millions of pounds to increase security along the French coast.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/english-channel-crossings-migrants-asylum-patel-b1851792.html