Ministers Plan 100 Migrant Deportations Amid Record Channel Crossings

UK ministers are preparing to deport over 100 migrants back to France as part of Sir Keir Starmer's one-in-one-out deal amid a record 28,288 people crossing the English Channel in small boats this year, marking a 46% increase from 2024. Public opinion polls reveal 71% of voters, including a majority of Labour supporters, disapprove of Starmer's handling of the asylum hotel situation. Nigel Farage and Reform UK have criticized the current deportation efforts as insufficient and announced plans to leave the European Convention on Human Rights and scrap the Human Rights Act, which they argue hinder effective deportations. Reform UK proposes housing migrants in old military bases before deporting them either to their countries of origin or third countries such as Rwanda or Albania, and plans to deny asylum claims from those arriving via small boats. The government anticipates closing several asylum hotels by year-end as part of its response. Home Office ministers have dismissed Reform's proposals as unrealistic, highlighting the complex challenges of the migration crisis.