More than 100 migrants in one vessel thought to have bumped crossings to 27,799
Home Office figures show 325 migrants crossed the English Channel by small boat on Wednesday, in the same week that the number of arrivals since Labour won the election hit 50,000.
The PA news agency understands that 106 people attempted the crossing between France and the Kent coast on a single boat.
A total of 51,041 migrants have been detected crossing the Channel since Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer entered No 10 on July 5 last year.
A former home secretary has said that the figure 'demonstrates the way over the last six or seven years that the criminal gangs have got an absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people across the Channel'.
Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern, who is now an education and women and equalities minister, told BBC Breakfast on Monday: 'It is an unacceptable number of people.'
Speaking on the Isle of Wight this week, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'My team are now looking at what we can do in terms of detention centres, but stopping people from coming here in the first place – if they think they're going to be sent to Rwanda and not get here, get a free hotel, get benefits, then they won't come here.'
Asked if her party could reduce the five-figure numbers to zero if it was in power, Mrs Badenoch said she thought 'it wouldn't happen straight away, but it would happen quickly'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Edinburgh police cordon off city centre road following 'accident'
Edinburgh police cordoned off a centre city street this evening following an 'accident'. Police seem to have cordoned off Dalkeith Road at around 6.15pm on Sunday, August 17. Images shared with Edinburgh Live show multiple police vehicles on the scene. A sign reading "Police accident" was positioned beside the marked vehicles. READ MORE: Man goes from London to Edinburgh on Caledonian Sleeper train and price floors people READ MORE: Edinburgh mum's dream home turns into 'living nightmare' and 'it's getting worse' The street is taped off between the Great Grog liquor store and Saint Margaret & Leonard Catholic Church. There also appeared to be a motorbike lying on the side of the road beside a lamppost. A bystander said: "There were several police vehicles and officers had taped off the road. "There was quite a commotion. I just hope everyone is alright." Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service has been approached for comment. We'll bring you more information and updates on this breaking news story as we get it. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X for the latest news, what's on, trending stories and sport. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Met urged to scrap Carnival facial recognition plan
Civil liberty and anti-racism groups have called on the Metropolitan Police to drop plans to use live facial recognition (LFR) technology at this year's Notting Hill Carnival. In a letter to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, 11 organisations described LFR as "a mass surveillance tool that treats all Carnival-goers as potential suspects and has no place at one of London's biggest cultural celebrations". They said the decision to reintroduce the technology at Carnival was "deeply disappointing" and argued it could be "less accurate for women and people of colour". The Met Police says LFR is accurate and balanced across ethnicity and gender, and insists it will help keep people safe. The groups - which include Liberty, Big Brother Watch and the Runnymede Trust - highlighted an ongoing judicial review brought by Shaun Thompson, a black Londoner who says he was wrongly identified by the system and detained. The letter states: "There is no clear legal basis for your force's use of LFR. No law mentions facial recognition technology and Parliament has never considered or scrutinised its use. "Notting Hill Carnival is an event that specifically celebrates the British African Caribbean community, yet the [Metropolitan Police] is choosing to use a technology with a well-documented history of inaccurate outcomes and racial bias." The letter also raised concerns over a 2023 National Physical Laboratory study, which found the NeoFace system used by the Met was less accurate for women and people of colour depending on the algorithm that has been set. The study's authors found the system could show bias at lower thresholds, though at the higher settings the Met says it uses, performance was found to be equitable across ethnicity and gender. These thresholds are confidence levels the system uses to decide a match - lower ones flag more people but risk more mistakes and bias, while higher ones are stricter and more balanced. Campaigners said there was no legal obligation for the force to avoid the lower thresholds, and argued policing resources would be better spent on safety measures at the carnival. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, who is leading this year's policing operation at the carnival, said LFR had led to more than 1,000 arrests since the start of 2024 and that independent testing showed the system was "accurate and balanced with regard to ethnicity and gender" at the thresholds used by the Met. Notting Hill Carnival takes place next weekend and has previously attracted up to two million people. It has come under increased scrutiny after two people were murdered at last year's event. Facial recognition tech for Notting Hill Carnival 'Cancelling Carnival won't stop knife crime' 'City Hall should run Notting Hill Carnival' Mr Ward said the force had received the letter and would respond in due course. "Carnival's growing popularity and size creates unique challenges. Around 7,000 officers and staff will be deployed each day," he said. "Their priority is to keep people safe, including preventing serious violence, such as knife crime and violence against women and girls. "It is right that we make the best use of available technology to support officers to do their job more effectively." Mr Ward said the LFR cameras will be used on the approach to and from Carnival and not within the event boundaries. He said they will "help officers identify and intercept those who pose a public safety risk before they get to the crowded streets". BBC News has contacted the carnival's organisers for comment. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Related internet links Liberty Human Rights Metropolitan Police
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
British horseracing to go on strike in protest against rise in betting taxes
LONDON (AP) — British horseracing will stage an unprecedented one-day strike on Sept. 10 to protest a proposed rise in taxes on race betting. The four scheduled meetings that day — at Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton — will not take place after agreements between the owners of the courses and the British Horseracing Authority, making it the first time the sport in Britain has voluntarily refused to race in modern history. The BHA set up the 'Axe the Racing Tax' campaign in response to proposals to replace the existing three-tax structure of online gambling duties with a single tax, with fears the current 15% duty on racing could be increased to the 21% levied on games of chance. Brant Dunshea, chief executive at the British Horseracing Authority, said the strike intends to 'highlight to (the) government the serious consequences of the treasury's tax proposals which threaten the very future of our sport.' 'British racing is already in a precarious financial position and research has shown that a tax rise on racing could be catastrophic for the sport and the thousands of jobs that rely on it in towns and communities across the country," Dunshea said. 'This is the first time that British racing has chosen not to race due to government proposals. We haven't taken this decision lightly but in doing so we are urging the government to rethink this tax proposal to protect the future of our sport which is a cherished part of Britain's heritage and culture." The British government said it was bringing the 'treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy.' 'It is not about increasing or decreasing rates,' the government said, "and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.' ___ AP sports:
