Proportion of migrant boats blocked from crossing Channel by France falls despite vessels now being much bigger and easier to spot amid rise in 'mega-dinghies'

Published: 13:41, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 13:44, 12 August 2026 The proportion of migrant boats being blocked from crossing the Channel has fallen despite many now being much bigger and easier to spot, it emerged today. Amid a rise in ‘mega-dinghies’ being launched, which experts say should be easier to intercept, the French authorities stopped just over half (56 per cent) of attempted boat crossings in the year to August 2. This was down slightly from a rate of 57 per cent for the 12 months before, according to analysis by the Mail. It comes despite Labour handing over hundreds of millions of pounds more to the French authorities to block crossings. The deal – signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in April – included an unconditional £500million to pay for beach patrols in France, plus £160million in performance-related funding. But the analysis found that, of 1,057 attempted Channel crossings in the 12 months to August 2, a total of just 598 boats (56 per cent) carrying 14,462 migrants were stopped. Of 1,849 boats launched from the French and Belgian coast the year before, 1,057 (57 per cent) carrying 30,012 migrants were halted by the French authorities. A ‘mega-dinghy’ carrying a record 230 migrants was brought to Dover on Monday, pushing the total since Labour came to power in 2024 past 80,000 The 'mega-dinghy' carrying 230 migrants was 7ft larger than vessels which set previous records last month, and more than 10ft longer than a standard double-decker bus Migrants have been storming French beaches in a bid to board a series of 'mega-dinghies' which have attempted to cross the Channel in recent weeks  Meanwhile, the average number of migrants crammed onto each vessel has more than doubled over five years to a record high, from 27 per vessel in 2021 to nearly 70 so far this year as the boats being deployed grow bigger. The Tories’ Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, said it typically takes longer for migrants to board larger vessels and that they travel slower, meaning the French authorities should find them easier to intercept. Speaking to the Mail, he added: ‘Boats the size of buses are crossing the Channel in broad daylight, and somehow the French are managing to catch a lower rate of them than before. ‘Crossings have become so routine that Border Force and French patrols escort illegal immigrants to English shores like a taxi service, and still Labour hand over hundreds of millions of pounds to France as if the French are holding up their end of the bargain. ‘The only way we can stop the crossings is through [our] plan that leaves the European Convention on Human Rights, bans asylum claims from illegal entrants and deports illegal immigrants rapidly on arrival.’ Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, said: ‘It is insane that Labour is still paying hundreds of millions of British taxpayers’ money to the French government to stop the boats. ‘The French are now doing even less. They are laughing at us.’ Tony Smith, former boss of UK Border Force, said: ‘The bigger the boats are, the easier it should be to intercept them at sea. ‘Nothing has changed in terms of the French tactics, from what I can see. They still won’t do anything once a boat is waterborne. ‘But it should be a lot easier to spot these big dinghies using satellite technology, rather than the smaller boats. ‘How is it that the French are not able to see boats or dinghies of this size being moved to the water?’ The Tories’ Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, said 'French patrols escort illegal immigrants to English shores like a taxi service' Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, said it's 'insane that Labour is still paying hundreds of millions of British taxpayers’ money to the French government'  He added: ‘Until you break the water taxi model, the smugglers are going to keep doing this. They’re going to keep loading up bigger and bigger boats. ‘The fact they’re getting bigger and the smugglers more confident, because they know this works, I think we’ll see more of these. Unless we can convince the French to do more, I just don’t see an end to it.’ It comes after a ‘mega-dinghy’ carrying a record 230 migrants was brought to Dover on Monday, pushing the total since Labour came to power in 2024 past 80,000. The dinghy was 7ft larger than vessels which set previous records last month, and more than 10ft longer than a standard double-decker bus. The previous record was 165 aboard one vessel on July 23. According to the French maritime prefecture of the Channel, 15 boats carrying more than 100 people and one carrying more than 200 have attempted to cross this year. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Tuesday that the rise in the average number of migrants per boat and the use of ‘mega-dinghies’ indicated smugglers were ‘changing their tactics’. Anna Turley, the minister for border security and asylum, insisted today that ‘substantial progress’ on small boat crossings was having a ‘dispersive effect’ which meant boats were being launched on the coast further away from Calais and Dunkirk, where the French authorities have tended to focus most resources. She suggested this might be why the French authorities weren’t intercepting a higher proportion of boats despite them growing larger. Since Mr Burnham became PM, more than 3,000 migrants have arrived on small boats – hundreds more than during Sir Keir Starmer’s first three weeks in office.