Channel crisis ‘deteriorating', No 10 admits as French use tear gas on migrants
Hundreds gathered on the dunes before making dashes towards the Channel at Gravelines beach near Calais, all intent on boarding a single dinghy on Tuesday morning.
The French authorities stood by and watched as those not deterred by the gas waded into the water intent on boarding a single dinghy to risk the Channel crossing.
The scenes at Gravelines unfolded just hours after a meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron in Canada to address a situation No 10 acknowledged was 'deteriorating'.
Some 16,545 people have crossed in small boats so far in 2025 according to Home Office figures, a 45% increase on the same period in 2024.
At Gravelines on Tuesday, migrants of all ages who made it to the sea had to wait in waist-deep water for almost an hour before any of them were able to board the small boat.
An older man on crutches had to be carried out of the water by two others, who then ran off to re-join the crowd.
Many others did not make it to the water, raising their arms in surrender under a thick blanket of tear gas fired by the French Police Nationale.
Officers were trudging the sands at Gravelines beach before the sun had risen on Tuesday morning, armed with riot shields, tear gas and batons.
Pictures taken by the PA news agency show a cloud of smoke as migrants ran from the dunes.
A warning cry of 'baby, baby' was heard as a man carrying a tiny child sprinted out of the smog.
Those who made it to the water bunched into three groups and waited for the dinghy to collect them, watched by the French police from the shoreline.
While they waited, an Afghani migrant who wished to remain anonymous told PA that he was seeking a better life in the UK.
'Just I want to go for a good life, I have a situation bad in my country,' he said.
Well over 50 migrants made it aboard the small black dinghy before it finally took off into the Channel.
Others were left to watch as it floated out to sea.
Pictures from the morning show a woman sitting dejected on the sand after chasing the dinghy as it left the beach.
She and her friends, thought to be Ethiopian, complained that it was mostly men who had managed to get on the boat that morning.
They had been hit by tear gas when the migrants were making their initial sprint to the water.
The dinghy, which had originally come to shore around 7am local time (6am BST), headed out to sea at 9.30am.
The boat appeared to be overloaded and witnesses saw it was eventually brought back to shore at around 11am local time.
The police present on Gravelines beach would not confirm whether the use of tear gas had now become common practice during these clashes.
A beach comber who has begun to document crossings was watching events unfold on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old said of French police: 'I think they show them that they tried to stop them but they're happy if a few hundred or thousand are away because the camps are more empty.'
The Prime Minister and Mr Macron will hold a summit in July focused on tackling the migration problem, No 10 said after a meeting between the pair in the margins of the G7 in Canada.
'Migration should be a key focus given the deteriorating situation in the Channel, they confirmed – adding that they should continue to work closely with other partners to find innovative ways to drive forward progress,' an official readout of the meeting said.
Downing Street acknowledged there were 'no quick fixes', but insisted action was already being taken and 'the days of Britain being a soft touch for these gangs are over'.
That includes measures aimed at getting the French authorities to intervene even if migrants are already in the sea.
Asked if the Government approved of the use of tear gas, the spokesman said: 'Our work with the French has never been closer.
'We are the first government to have secured agreement from the French to review their laws so their border enforcement teams can intervene in shallow waters.'
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Starmer is right, under his watch the Channel crisis is spiralling out of control.'
He said 2025 was the worst year on record but Labour's answer was 'to ask the British taxpayer to foot the bill for their accommodation or to pay half a billion pounds for the French to wave the boats off and do next to nothing to prevent Channel crossings'.
He added: 'The gangs are laughing, the boats keep coming, and Labour's response is to form another taskforce and hold a summit. It's weak and it's embarrassing.'
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