The steep rise in small boat crossings across the English Channel is deeply worrying. Ever more lives are put at risk in making the 21-mile journey. ... A key issue is that the Government did not see the problem of small boat crossings as a consequence of its policy failures, most notably its failure to secure a post-Brexit returns arrangement with the EU.

This week Professor Thom Brooks, Professor of Law and Government, launched the most comprehensive report into the issue of asylum seekers using small boats to cross the Channel to Britain. A key finding of the 55 page report is that the Government's Brexit deal is a primary factor.