UK spots record number of people crossing English Channel

On August 22, a record 1,295 people arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats.

It's the highest daily total since current records started in 2018, Sky News quotes the UK Defence Ministry as saying.

The previous high was 1,185 on 11 November 2021. Twenty-seven boats were detected on August 22.

The provisional total for crossings so far in 2022 is 22,670; this time last year it was just short of 12,500.

As reported, total crossings in 2021 were 28,526.

A controversial deal to send some migrants to Rwanda to process their asylum claims were struck earlier this year by the government.

They wouldn't be able to return to the UK and instead could be eligible for a new life in the African nation.

However, the first flight was halted on the runway in June after a legal challenge, and a judicial review over the lawfulness of the scheme will be heard in September.

Refugee support groups, Church of England bishops and other opponents say it's "immoral" and "inhumane".

But the government hopes the plan will deter people from making the dangerous crossing from France - which has claimed dozens of lives.

It says migrants would get a "generous support package, including up to 5 years of training, accommodation, and healthcare on arrival" in Rwanda.