Rwanda asylum plan under fire as Channel crossings rise
The Guardian|August 03, 2022
The number of people crossing the Channel in small boats to seek refuge in the UK hit a daily record for the year so far on Monday, as Border Force staff braced themselves for thousands more arrivals this summer.
Rajeev Syal
Rwanda asylum plan under fire as Channel crossings rise

The Ministry of Defence said 696 made the journey in 14 small boats on Monday. There were 460 arrivals on Saturday and 247 on Friday, with more than 1,000 people crossing last week.

In July, 3,683 people crossed from France. The total for this year is believed to be more than 17,000.

The figures came amid reports of growing concern over plans to stem the number of boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel.

Critics of the government's Rwanda policy have seized on the latest figures as evidence that there has been no deterrent effect on asylum seeker numbers, as claimed by ministers.

Paul O'Connor, the head of bargaining for the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents Border Force staff, said: "These statistics seriously undermine the government's claim that their policy of deporting people to Rwanda acts as a deterrent. It's time for the government to drop the scheme and switch to an asylum system based on humanity, not hostility."

This story is from the August 03, 2022 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 03, 2022 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView All
Ruined town re-emerges as Philippines dam dries up
The Guardian

Ruined town re-emerges as Philippines dam dries up

Ruins of a centuries-old town have emerged at a dam parched by drought in the northern Philippines.

time-read
1 min  |
May 04, 2024
"This was a crisis': Hope Hicks tells of panic over Trump recording at hush money trial
The Guardian

"This was a crisis': Hope Hicks tells of panic over Trump recording at hush money trial

Hope Hicks, Donald Trump's 2016 campaign secretary, described the former US president's staffers' panic when a recording emerged in which he had bragged about groping women, saying \"this was a crisis\" for his presidential campaign, as she took the witness stand yesterday in Trump's criminal hush money trial.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 04, 2024
'Jews need to fight back' Shock and sadness in Israel at overseas protests
The Guardian

'Jews need to fight back' Shock and sadness in Israel at overseas protests

At the Jerusalem theatre, concertgoers and staff expressed a mixture of anger, sadness and defiance as weeks of proPalestinian protests across dozens of US college campuses reached a tumultuous climax 6,000 miles away.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 04, 2024
Tenants should be given the 'right to garden', says leading horticulturalist
The Guardian

Tenants should be given the 'right to garden', says leading horticulturalist

Developers and landlords should give tenants a \"right to garden\", a leading horticulturalist has said, as part of a campaign for more green spaces in new-build homes.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 04, 2024
Last rites? Decline in vulture numbers forces Parsis to adapt burial practices
The Guardian

Last rites? Decline in vulture numbers forces Parsis to adapt burial practices

Traditional Zoroastrian burial rites are becoming impossible to perform because of the decline of vultures in India, Iran and Pakistan.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 04, 2024
In Plato's words How AI is helping to reveal the secrets of ancient scrolls
The Guardian

In Plato's words How AI is helping to reveal the secrets of ancient scrolls

More than 2,000 years after he died, Plato, the towering figure of classical antiquity and founder of the Academy, still makes the news.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 04, 2024
Boy convicted of murder after stabbing near primary school
The Guardian

Boy convicted of murder after stabbing near primary school

A 15-year-old boy who stabbed another teenager through the heart on the way home from school was found guilty of murder yesterday.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 04, 2024
Super-rich spending up to £400,000 on Paris Olympics packages
The Guardian

Super-rich spending up to £400,000 on Paris Olympics packages

Members of the global super-rich are spending as much as $500,000 (£400,000) on \"ultra exclusive\" packages for the Paris 2024 Olympics that promoters claim include meeting athletes, access to the athletes' village, and \"the chance to be part of the opening ceremony\".

time-read
2 mins  |
May 04, 2024
Boost for travel agents as Race Across the World grips viewers
The Guardian

Boost for travel agents as Race Across the World grips viewers

No celebrities, no luxuries, and a miserly £20,000 in prize money.

time-read
1 min  |
May 04, 2024
Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters becomes latest film to bring in cultural consultants
The Guardian

Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters becomes latest film to bring in cultural consultants

Film and TV productions are turning to a growing number of \"cultural consultants\" to help them navigate the choppy waters of sensitivities around ethnicity and faith.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 04, 2024