In response to the Channel crossings this weekend, Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council said:

‘’With many people crossing the Channel just this weekend, we are seeing how the Government’s draconian policies enshrined in the Nationality and Borders Act and their Rwanda deal are doing little to deter desperate people jumping on boats, because they do nothing to address the reasons people come.

“Let’s not forget the men women and children coming across the Channel are fleeing atrocities like those in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

“Criminalising them and treating them as human cargo to be sent to Rwanda is cruel and shows how this government lacks compassion and humanity.

“The Government’s approach is destined to fail and will only cause more pain and suffering and at a huge cost to the public purse.

“As the warm weather continues, we need to immediately start having a grown-up conversation with France and the EU about sharing responsibility. We need a fair and humane asylum system, with means well thought-out, long-term solutions that address why people are forced from their homes and provides them with safe routes to the UK.”