Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer announced a one-in-one-out deal with French president Emmanuel Macron in a bid to return migrants who cross the Channel.
In another treaty announced last week, Germany, often used as a storage hubs for boats and transport equipment, will shut a loophole so police can seize small boats used by smuggling gangs.
Her remarks come after riot police in France have clashed with migrants several times since Starmer made his announcement.
“But for now, just the announcement, the speech, didn’t do anything. People are still trying to cross.
A group of migrants run from the beach into the water to reach an inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel (Photo: Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)“But there are already so many people trying again so they get boats from different places.
A spokesperson for Utopia 56 also revealed the group received a distress call from one small boat about 4am on Saturday morning, with at least two vessels seen leaving the French coast overnight.
On Friday night, riot police clashed with migrants at the seaside town, north east of Calais, with missiles hurled at officers who fired volleys of tear gas in return.
French riot police clashed with migrants during disturbances on Friday (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Under the French scheme, British officials will detain some people who cross the Channel and send them back to France, in return for accepting an asylum seeker in France who can has family connections in the UK.
Footage taken on Saturday morning shows police moving on a group of migrants, including children and toddlers, after one failed crossing attempt on the Petit Fort Philippe beach.
Smuggling gangs adopt new strategy
Smuggling gangs have changed tactics by launching these boats from hidden locations away from departure beaches, instead of inflating them in coastal dunes.
Tensions have been building between the police and migrants in the area for months, said Ms Moyart, with a Utopia56 team witnessing the recent disturbances in the early hours of Friday.
“They used rocks or something like that. And it is happening more and more, the tensions between police and people who tried to go.”
With regards to who was taking part in the disturbances, it was difficult to distinguish between people smuggling gangs and migrants hoping to reach the UK.
“Even people who just want to cross, sometimes they get angry with the police. That’s what creates a lot of tension when there’s too many people and so many police in one place.
“The police use a lot of gas. A woman was saying that she can’t sleep with the window open because it gets inside the house.”
Small boat crossings reach record numbers
More than 22,500 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far in 2025, a record for this point in the year.
This been disproportionately warm, with two heatwaves already sweeping the UK and a “unprecedented season of warmth” this spring, according to the Met Office.
Border security insiders said this meant there were more days when crossings could take place, and thus higher numbers of people could make the journey.
Channel crossings by small boat surge over 5 years
Channel crossings by small boats have significantly increased over the past five years despite joint efforts by Britain and France to stop people making the perilous journey.
2020 – 8,466 made the crossing
2021 – 28,526 crossed the Channel by by small boat
2022 – 45,744 made the journey
2023 – 29,437 crossed the Channel
2024 – 36,816 people crossed the Channel
2025 – 22,504 have made the journey so far
Source: Home Office data
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