Downing Street declares 'migrant emergency' after record day of crossings - but no fresh Rwanda vote before Easter

21 March 2024, 16:40 | Updated: 21 March 2024, 17:35

No 10 admitted the UK was in the grip of a "migration emergency" today - but refused to force through its Rwanda deportation flights law before Easter.

More than 4,000 people are thought to have crossed the English Channel this year, Home Office figures show.

Today, a record 514 people made the journey on 10 boats - the highest number on a single day so far this year.

But the Government’s flagship Rwanda Bill remains stuck in parliamentary limbo, with MPs not scheduled to debate it again until after Westminster returns from Easter.

The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: "The legislation is dealing with a migration emergency and we are introducing that legislation as soon as we possibly can to reduce the number of people taking the perilous journey across the Channel."

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He added that it was "frustrating" that the House of Lords had not passed the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on Wednesday night, making changes to the legislation that mean it has to go back to the Commons for consideration.

He said: "It is exactly because we are still seeing people making this perilous journey across the Channel, including people in the last few days, that the PM wants parliamentarians across the House to get behind this Bill and to stop the boats."

The running total for Channel crossings in 2024 is 4,043 – 10% higher than this time last year (3,683).

It is also 25% higher than the total at this stage in 2022, when there were 3,229 arrivals recorded, PA news agency analysis of the data indicates.

The Rwanda Bill is not expected to return to the Commons until April 15, after the Government suffered seven defeats in the Lords last night.

The legislation returned to the Lords after MPs voted down 10 amendments introduced by the upper house.

The Lords defied plead from ministers to bow to the views of MPs, who earlier in the week reversed a raft of changes proposed by the peers.

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt suggested that if MPs remove the amendments on April 15 and peers subsequently reinstate them, there will be a final showdown on April 17.

Mr Sunak has put the Rwanda policy at the heart of his commitment to 'Stop the Boats'. 

Government sources have insisted even if the legislation is not passed until after Easter, the PM can still meet his goal of having the first deportation flights take off this spring.However, there are fears that even after the legislation gets Royal Assent it could take weeks to put the plan into effect.