The government has deployed two aircraft to the Channel to detect and monitor small boats crossing under the cover of darkness. The planes, De Havilland Dash 8s, are equipped with hi-tech cameras and sensors and will give Border Force ‘eyes’ on the boats heading from France to England. The optimists within government hope that the aircraft’s ‘night vision capability’ will enable Border Force to identify and arrest the smugglers ferrying migrants across the Channel.

After a period of inclement weather grounded the small boats, more stable conditions at the end of last week led to a surge in crossings: 621 migrants reached England on Thursday, 648 on Friday and 503 on Saturday. The total number of migrants who have made the passage this year is 38,728 – 6,000 more than in the same period in 2024.

The deployment of the aircraft will do nothing to stop the small boats. It may actually encourage the people smugglers. With ‘eyes’........

© The Spectator