Despite a string of measures intended to cut numbers, more than 27,000 crossed the Channel in small boats this year
The home secretary, Priti Patel, has repeatedly promised to curb the number of people arriving on UK shores in small boats by making this route “unviable” but more than 27,000 refugees have crossed the Channel this way, up from 8,500 in 2020.
The Home Office is now planning to introduce a tagging scheme for asylum seekers after a reportedly “exasperated” Boris Johnson ordered a review. It is the latest proposal in a string of ideas aimed at clamping down on small boat arrivals, none of which have been successful at curbing numbers so far.