Migrants have tried to cross the Channel to the UK for the first time since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Crossings resumed on Wednesday morning amid warm, sunny weather and calm conditions at sea after an 11-day hiatus when wind swept the Channel.
Several boats are already thought to have made the journey and arrived in Dover, Kent.
Busy day for crossings
In a busy day for crossings, migrants were seen racing to board a large boat packed full of people at Equihen-Plage near Boulogne-sur-Mer on the north coast of France.
Footage captured by the Press Association shows the boat leaving the shore with some of the migrants waving to others left behind in the water.
French authorities were seen handing out life jackets and trying to rescue those in the sea.
Crowds of men, women and children had descended on the beach and police were seen stopping one family with a baby boarding the boat.
Political context
The crossings come after Mr Burnham walked into Number 10 on Monday and decided during his Cabinet reshuffle that Shabana Mahmood would hold onto her job as Home Secretary.
She said it was an “honour” to remain in post and vowed to “finish the job” of trying to curb Channel crossings and reform the immigration system.
Statistics
Some 77,183 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel during Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership since Labour’s election victory in July 2024, PA analysis of government data shows.
According to Home Office figures, 12,469 arrivals have been recorded so far this year.
This is 47% lower than the number recorded by this time last year and down 21% on the same period in 2024.
No crossings have been recorded since July 10.
Tuesday’s figures are yet to be published but are expected to confirm there were no arrivals that day.
The Home Office will confirm how many people made the journey on Wednesday, the first under the new Labour administration, in data published on Thursday.
