‘Shocked to the core’: Rescuers and locals in Kent react to Priti Patel’s pushback plan

Around 14,300 migrants have arrived in Britain by boat from France this year, writes Rory Sullivan

Volunteers from Channel Rescue scan the horizon for migrant boats on 10 September, 2021. (Rory Sullivan )

Priti Patel’s plan to “push back” migrants crossing the Channel has proved deeply contentious, not least in Kent, the county where dinghies from France land.

The strategy came to the public’s attention after more than 1,000 asylum seekers reached the British coast on Monday or Tuesday during a spell of good weather.

In total, at least 14,300 migrants have arrived in Britain by boat from France this year, according to the PA news agency, a steep increase from just over 8,000 in 2020.