Chilling photos show children being carried onto small boats ready to cross the Channel as campaigners say the images must shame politicians to act as pressure mounts over the asylum system
A man struggles in deep water with a child on his shoulders as he tries to board a flimsy dingy in pictures laying bare the extent of the small boats crisis.
Dozens of migrants, including women and children, were seen trying to board a vessel off the French coast to make the perilous journey to Britain. Campaigners said the images are a “stark reminder” of the dangers and must spur politicians into action.
At least 15 people have died so far in 2025 trying to make the dangerous journey, while there were 78 fatalities in 2024. On May 21 a woman and her son, believed to be eight, died in an overcrowded boat.
READ MORE: Asylum is Labour’s ‘number one priority’ says MP as David Blunkett warns it’s becoming ‘toxic’READ MORE: DAME ANGELA EAGLE: Labour is tackling asylum mess without gimmicks or games – here’s how
Labour MP Jo White warned that the Government must tackle the broken asylum system amid spiralling tensions in the UK over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. Steve Smith, chief executive of campaign group Care4Calais said: “The sight of distraught children in the English Channel should shame every politician who could have used their power to save lives, and end these dangerous crossings, but have refused to do so.
“The solution has always been right in front of our eyes. If people were offered safe routes to claim asylum in the UK, they wouldn’t risk their lives crossing the Channel.
“If politicians can look at the images of these children in the photographs and still not act, it will only confirm that we are governed by a political establishment that is devoid of any humanity.”
And Enver Solomon, who heads the Refugee Council, said: “These images are a stark reminder of the acute danger faced by men, women and children crossing the Channel in flimsy vessels. They don’t make this journey unless what lies behind them is more terrifying than what lies ahead.
“From our frontline services, we know that those risking their lives are often fleeing conflict and persecution in places like Sudan and Afghanistan, with no other options left open to them.”
He continued: “To save lives and end the horrendous smuggling trade, the UK must work with French and European partners to share responsibility and, crucially, expand safe and legal routes. That means measures such as allowing families to be reunited with loved ones already here.
“Without these alternatives, people will continue to face unimaginable danger in their search for safety.” So far this year a record 28,288 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, with 212 arriving on Sunday.
Mike Tapp, Labour MP for Dover and Deal, told the Mirror: “These people are being exploited by evil criminals. We must be bold to save lives and end this vile trade. Anyone questioning firm policy to stop these crossings from taking place should look at the faces of those children, and think again.”
Pressure is mounting on ministers to speed up asylum hotel closures, with tensions seeing demonstrations and counter-protests on Britain’s streets over the weekend.
Former Labour Home Secretary Lord David Blunkett warned the issue is becoming “toxic” and said it is beginning to get out of the Government’s grip.
Ms White, who chairs the Red Wall caucus of Labour MPs, said: “I think it’s the number one priority for this Government. I firmly believe that if we don’t sort it, then Labour are under threat at the next general election.
“I want this Government to look at every solution possible.” She said: “We need to make it far more difficult for asylum seekers to want to come to this country.”
A YouGov poll for The Times found that 71% of voters believe the Prime Minister is handling the asylum hotel issue badly, including 56% of Labour supporters.
Nigel Farage is set to lay out his plans to shake up the asylum system today(TUE) – including reaching a return agreement with the Taliban. The Reform leader also proposes sending small boat arrivals to Ascension Island – the site of a UK/US air base – in the Atlantic.
Labour’s border security minister, Dame Angela Eagle, hit back: “Nigel Farage is simply plucking numbers out of the air, another pie in the sky policy from a party that will say anything for a headline.”
She pointed to ramped up returns, the falling cost of the asylum system and steps targeting trafficking gangs, telling The Mirror there would be “no gimmicks, no games”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced at the weekend that asylum appeals would be sped up, with a panel of independent adjudicators taking decisions rather than judges. And a pilot one-in-one-out return deal with France has started, with small boat arrivals detained on arrival earlier this month.
Lord Blunkett said: “I think that the individual measures the Government has taken are extremely helpful in their own right but don’t add up either to a comprehensive answer or an understandable narrative.
“At the moment the issue is so toxic and beginning to get out of the Government’s grip to the point it is very hard to bring it back. A further package of actions is absolutely vital to start controlling both the public narrative and the delivery.”
He has suggested suspending elements of the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Refugee Convention, calling on Mr Starmer to be “radical”.
The YouGov survey of over 2,100 people found 37% of voters viewed immigration and asylum as the most important issue facing the country. This was ahead of 25% who said the economy and 7% who said the health service.
Protests have been held outside asylum hotels across the UK in recent days. Figures last week showed over 32,000 asylum seekers were living in hotels at the end of June – down from over 56,000 under the Tories in 2023.
The Government has vowed to end their use by the end of this Parliament in 2029. But the issue has come into sharp focus after the High Court ruling ordered the Bell Hotel in Epping to be closed to migrants because planning procedures were not properly followed.
The hotel has been the site of clashes after a man living there was accused of assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The Government says it plans to challenge the court decision, saying that hotel closures must be done in a managed way.
READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster