Overview

• Home Office figures show 1,075 people arrived by small boat on Wednesday, taking the year-to-date total to 35,476.
• Officials released video from the first group removal flights under the UK–France pilot, confirming 19 returns this week and 26 in total so far.
• The second group flight landed in France on Thursday before continuing to Eastern Europe as part of regular returns operations, with further flights scheduled in the coming days.
• Since the pilot began in early August, roughly 10,000 people have crossed the Channel, while 18 have been admitted to the UK via the linked legal route including nine this week.
• Reporters and officials describe mounting operational strain as smugglers deploy larger, overloaded dinghies, underscoring the gap between rising arrivals and early-stage returns.