140 migrants in single dinghy rescued in English Channel

Key Points:

• An inflatable vessel carrying migrants launched from the Normandy coast and requested help in UK waters, where they were rescued by two RNLI boats and are being taken ashore in the UK.
• The dinghy, which departed from the Bay of the Seine—an unusual and longer route than typical crossings from Calais—was monitored by French rescue boats for around 10 hours but was not stopped due to safety concerns.
• UK and French officials, including Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Emmanuel Macron, recently met to discuss enhancing joint efforts to reduce small boat crossings, agreeing on the need to scale up operations.
• Despite a decrease in crossings during the summer to the lowest levels since 2019, smugglers are using larger "mega dinghies" to transport more people per trip, adapting to increased policing in traditional launch areas like Calais.
• Since the UK election, over 48,000 crossing attempts have been prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized, with a new payment-by-results deal aiming to increase French beach patrols by 40% to further curb crossings.