Thom Brooks: Government is repeating same old lines about stopping boats, unable to acknowledge failure of Brexit deal.

Rishi Sunak has made stopping the small boats one of his top five priorities, but is he trying to solve a problem of their own making? / A report out from Durham University could make some awkward reading for prime minister Rishi Sunak.

Rishi Sunak should admit ‘main factor’ behind problem so he can fix it, says Durham University study.

‘Getting Brexit done’ has led to record migration numbers. So, what now?

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.

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.

Thom Brooks’ report reveals the Government has created the Channel migration ‘small boats’ crisis through its hard Brexit policies.

It is wrong to argue that the UK’s inability to return asylum seekers to the EU is driving the increase in the number crossing the Channel. / While there is evidence that Brexit is having an impact on small boat crossings, the migration data does not support Brooks’ analysis. Rather, it suggests that Brexit-related labour shortages with the potential for exploitation, is more significant.