Five migrants die while crossing the English Channel, hours after Rwanda’s deportation law was passed

Five migrants have died attempting to cross the English Channel just hours after Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda bill was passed by parliament.

The French coast guard confirmed on Tuesday morning that there had been a failed attempt to cross the Channel.

A spokesman said its officers were still operating at sea after what the official called a “busy” morning, with several crossing attempts.

Local newspaper La Voix du Nord reported that the migrants died while trying to cross the Channel from an area near the town of Wimereux.

About 100 migrants were also rescued by the French navy, media reports, including the father of a four-year-old girl who lay “in tears on the beach.” According to the newspaper, his daughter was in “absolute distress”.

It was also reported that many migrants were ready to leave the coast this morning, with mild weather conditions making the crossing favorable.

On Monday evening, the government’s main immigration bill was passed by Parliament after the House of Lords withdrew its amendment to the legislation, conceding it must now “recognize the primacy of the elected house”.

The Rwanda Security (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will allow around 150 asylum seekers to board flights to Kigali from July. Mr Sunak says the plan will deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Under the bill, Rwanda has been designated as a safe country, but there are many human rights groups who say the program will endanger refugees.

Steve Smith, CEO of Care4Calais, said this Times radio: “Who in the government has actually been to Africa, apart from a handful at the very top… it’s just nonsense.”

Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson said Tuesday morning’s reports of further deaths in the English Channel were “absolutely chilling”.

Asked about the reports on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said: “It’s absolutely chilling to hear that. There have now been nine months in a row of fatalities in the Channel.”

The deaths come after a week in which the Home Office recorded no boat crossings, but follow a weekend earlier this month when 748 migrants arrived in Kent after crossing the English Channel.

Ministry figures show that 214 people were brought ashore from five boats on April 13, and 534 from ten boats on April 14. That brings the total number of migrants arriving in Britain in small boats to 6,265 in 2024.

The data does not include migrants who have not reached Britain.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals fall by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, to save lives and to stop boats.”

This is a breaking news story – more to come