At least 27 people drowned yesterday
in the worst migrant tragedy in the
Channel.
Five women and a young child were
among the dead after a dinghy rapidly
deflated, plunging them into the frigid
water. Two more were in a critical con-
dition in hospital with hypothermia.
Boris Johnson said last night that he
was “shocked, appalled and deeply
saddened” and accused France of fail-
ing to do enough to stop the crossings.
He added: “I say to our partners now
is the time for us all to step up, to work
together, to do everything we can to
break these gangs who are literally get-
ting away with murder.”
The death toll is the highest since the
Channel became a significant migrant
route into Britain two years ago. The
situation has escalated into a crisis with
more than 26,000 arriving by small
boat this year, three times the number
at the same point last year.
Gérald Darmanin, the French interi-
or minister, said police believed that 34
migrants had been crammed into an
“extremely flimsy boat” that deflated
like a paddling pool and went down. But
La Voix du Nord, a regional daily, said
the boat appeared to have been hit by a
large vessel, probably a container ship.
Charles Devos, captain of the Calais-
based lifeboat, said he and his crew had
recovered six bodies. “I always thought
that one day they would collide with a
container ship or a ferry. I always said
this would end in a tragedy and
unfortunately it has,” he said.
Darmanin said four suspected people
traffickers had been arrested in con-
nection with the deaths after state pros-
ecutors in Dunkirk announced that
they had opened an aggravated man-
slaughter investigation.
None of the victims had identity
documents and police were unsure of
their nationalities, Darmanin said. The
absence of identity documents is cus-
tomary to make it harder for the
authorities to return the migrants to
their countries of origin. Kurdish
Umbrella, a charity, said it feared that
most were of Kurdish origin.
The alert was raised by a French fish-
erman who spotted bodies floating off
Calais. A British helicopter from the
maritime rescue co-ordination centre
in Dover joined a French naval helicop-
ter and patrol vessel along with a policeboat and a lifeboat to search for bodies
and survivors.
President Macron demanded an EU
meeting. He said: “France will not let
the Channel become a cemetery.” He
added that “everything will be done to
find and convict those responsible”.
Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of
Calais, said she had written almost daily
to ministers warning that a tragedy of
this sort was “bound to happen”. She
said her warnings had been ignored by
a government that had failed to give
French police the means to fight
people-smuggling gangs that were
charging migrants from €2,700 toAdam Sage Paris
Steven Swinford, Emma Yeomans
David Brown Calais
Hundreds of
migrants
land hereDozens
drown
off coast
of CalaisDungeness
CalaisWimereuxDoverFolkestoneThe
ChannelUK10 miles FRANCEThursday November 25 2021 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73638 2G V2 £2.20 £1.45 to subscribers(based on 7 Day Print Pack)€7,000 to reach the UK. “I say: enough
is enough,” she said.
In a phone call Johnson and Macron
said they would keep “all options on the
table” and “agreed on the urgency of
stepping up joint efforts to prevent
these deadly crossings”, according to a
No 10 spokesman. They said that they
wanted to work with Belgium, the
Netherlands and other EU countries.
However, Macron was also said to have
urged Johnson to stop “politicising” the
crisis for “domestic gain”.
Hundreds of migrants arrived on
British shores yesterday. At Dungeness
in Kent the asylum seekers, a mixture of
Iraqi Kurds and Afghans, included
small children and babies. Among
them was an Afghan soldier who had
worked with British forces. One boat
carrying dozens of people was so flimsy
that when a rescuer grabbed a handle it
came off in his hand.
The number of migrants crossing this
year has risen each month until
September, when it reached 4,653. It
dipped to 2,669 in October but has
steeply climbed again this month to
more than 6,000.
Before yesterday’s tragedy 14
migrants had drowned this year,
Continued on page 2, col 3Migrants preparing to launch a boat into the Channel near Wimereux yesterday, when hundreds landed on British shores. More than 26,000 have arrived this year
Dozens of migrants drown
in Channel dinghy tragedy
6 At least 27 dead after boat deflates off Calais 6 Johnson accuses France of failing to take action
Sunak losing
patience with
‘maelstrom of
chaos’ at No 10
Steven Swinford Political EditorRishi Sunak is increasingly frustrated
with Boris Johnson’s “chaotic” No 10
operation, his allies said last night.
The chancellor believes that there
needs to be greater professionalism
after a succession of damaging Tory
rebellions and government reversals.
The fallout landed on the Treasury
this week as Liam Booth-Smith,
Sunak’s chief of staff, was accused of
briefing that there was “a lot of concern
in the building about the PM”.
The claim has been denied by the
Treasury but allies believe that Sunak
will need to protect Booth-Smith
because senior figures in Downing
Street are “gunning for him”. They
highlighted the fact that Sajid Javid quit
as chancellor after No 10 attempted to
remove his advisers.
One ally of Sunak said: “Rishi is not
confrontational but he takes things
seriously. He goes through them logi-
cally and thinks things through. He’s
frustrated with the operation in No 10.
Things are chaotic in No 10.”
Simon Case, the cabinet secretary,
and Dan Rosenfield, the No 10 chief of
staff, came in for criticism. “Case and
Rosenfield act like starry-eyed junior
researchers who are trying to make him
[Johnson] feel good. But it’s very diffi-
cult to challenge him when someone’s
political star is based on being bum-
bling and chaotic,” the ally said.
There has been particular concern in
the Treasury at the handling of multi-
billion-pound pledges by No 10. Last
week the integrated rail review, which
included £96 billion of new investment,
prompted a clash with backbenchers
over the decision to downgrade
Northern Powerhouse rail and scrap
the eastern leg of HS2.
This week 19 Tory MPs rebelled over
a change to social care reforms that
would lead to poorer households
contributing more to their costs.
The prime minister has rejected calls
to overhaul his top team and appoint an
“inner cabinet” of advisers on big
decisions.
Another government source said:
“Rishi keeps being hit by the maelstrom
of chaos next door. You can manage it
in the short term but it becomes more
difficult to stomach when there’s no
signs it will change.”
The Treasury is also said to be
alarmed about the briefings against
Booth-Smith. He was originally
appointed to lead a joint economic unit
between No 10 and the Treasury after
Sunak succeeded Javid as chancellor.
His appointment was sanctioned by
Dominic Cummings, the former senior
adviser to the prime minister, who has
been highly critical of him since leaving
Continued on page 2, col 3GONZALO FUENTES/REUTERSIN THE NEWS
Miscarriage hope
Pregnant women at higher
risk of a miscarriage should
be treated with a hormone
that could lead to an extra
8,000 births a year, the health
watchdog has said. Page 4Britain’s Covid boost
Britain is nearer the end of its
pandemic than any other
European country, a study
has suggested, thanks to a
combination of prior infection
and vaccinations. Page 16Germany goes liberal
Olaf Scholz has secured his
place as the next chancellor of
Germany with a coalition deal
to usher in socially liberal
policies on immigration, trans
rights and cannabis. Page 38Insurer to pay £43m
The members of the mutual
insurer LV= are expected to
foot a £43 million bill for its
£530 million takeover by the
American private equity firm
Bain Capital. Page 45Manchester City came from
behind to beat PSG 2-1 and
win their Champions League
group. Liverpool defeated
Porto 2-0, maintaining their
100 per cent record. Page 82City overcome PSG
y(7HB7E2*OTSKOM( |||+[!_