Yvette Cooper Blames Weather for Record Channel Crossings
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is calling out Mother Nature for the surge of migrants slamming onto Britain’s shores. She says smugglers are seizing the unusually calm weather to launch more boats than ever before. The result? A jaw‑dropping 10,000 people have crossed the English Channel in the past year.
The Calm Misfire
Cooper is not holding back when she describes how these gangs use the “much higher number of calm weather days” to their advantage:
- Calm seas = more hops – The smoother the water, the easier the smuggling operation.
- Border security on thin ice – The influx is putting a serious strain on our patrols and exposing lives to danger.
- Action is overdue – “It’s why it’s so essential to take action on the criminal gangs that are underpinning this vile trade in people,” Cooper says.
Changing the Rules to Stop the Boats
In a swipe at bureaucratic inertia, the Secretary highlighted recent policy shifts:
- French cooperation secured – The UK has “persuaded the French government to change their rules”, allowing police to step in on the Channel.
- New laws in place – Once in the water, the French police will now be able to intervene and prevent the grabbing of boats by unsuspecting migrants.
- Implementation timeline – These changes will come into effect “over the next few months.”
The Smuggling Tactics
Cooper shed light on how the gangs operate:
“Smuggling gangs are launching boats further up the coast and then people climb onto the boats in shallow waters,” the Home Secretary explained. “Because the French rules for many years have meant police could not and would not intervene, the smugglers are free to pull in people at their leisure.”
We’re Watching the Weather
She stressed that the current weather patterns cannot be ignored: “This cannot continue, as the impact on our border security is so significant.”
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