French Navy sailors have been caught handing life jackets to small-boat migrants as they cross the English Channel. The newly obtained footage showed dozens of migrants wearing orange flotation devices as a French boat sailed alongside.
The reveal comes as at least 9,700 individuals have made the illegal 22-hour crossing into Britain this year. Three migrant boats were launched from beaches around the Dieppe area at 7am on Monday (June 15), more than 100 miles south of the normal launch points around Dunkirk and Calais. They arrived in UK waters in the early hours of Tuesday, and more than 160 small boat migrants were picked up and taken to Dover harbour, with another 150 arriving hours later.
The footage, obtained by GB News, shows sailors aboard the French Navy vessel throwing life jackets to migrants, whose outstretched hands caught them. While the GB News presenter noted that the action can be seen as a “humanitarian act”, but could also be seen as one “aiding and abetting” illegal crossings. Indeed, the images have sparked strong reactions from politicians and commentators, with critics arguing that such actions could encourage further crossings.
Reform UK Home Affairs Spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, reacted to the footage, claiming it demonstrates a failure to deter illegal migration and raising broader concerns about the handling of the Channel crisis.
This week’s overnight crossings were the first illegal attempts in more than a fortnight after windy conditions in the English Channel subsided on Sunday (June 14).
According to the UK Parliament, 39,000 people arrived by small boat in the year ending March 2026, accounting for around 90% of all people detected arriving in the UK without authorisation. Around 75% of those arriving were adult men, 12% were adult women and 13% were children.
The total number of migrants making the crossing is about 6,000 fewer than the number who arrived at this point last year. However, maritime security sources told GB News that this reduction is likely more due to unfavourable wind conditions than to any law enforcement activity.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This Government is bearing down on small boat crossings, with removals of small boat migrants at record levels and asylum claims down by 12%.
“The Home Secretary has signed a landmark new deal with France to boost enforcement action on beaches and put people smugglers behind bars.
“This builds on joint work that has stopped over 42,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross the Channel since the election.
“We have removed or deported almost 70,000 people who were here illegally – an increase of 41% – and are going further to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to this country.”
