Overview
- Border Force brought the first small-boat arrivals of the year into Dover on Monday, with official numbers yet to be confirmed by the Home Office.
- Images from the port showed officials handling a stretcher as sleet and near-zero temperatures were forecast across the Dover Strait.
- Home Office figures record 41,472 Channel arrivals in 2025, the second-highest annual total after 2022.
- Under powers now in force, officers at the Manston processing centre can seize electronic devices without arrest, search for hidden SIM cards, and download phone data on site.
- Border security commander Martin Hewitt called the move a “key moment,” while Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Freedom From Torture questioned its effectiveness and humanity.