Overview

• Kent Police said a woman airlifted from a small boat just after 1pm near Dover was pronounced dead and officers are investigating the circumstances.
• HM Coastguard deployed Border Force vessels, RNLI lifeboats and aircraft, and authorities said the dinghy suffered a “catastrophic deflation” about 10 miles off Dover.
• Officials have opened an internal investigation into a reported unescorted landing on a Kent beach on Saturday, with five people detained near Kingsdown and handed to Border Force.
• Channel arrivals in 2025 have surpassed 30,000 earlier than any previous year, including 1,097 people recorded on Saturday, the second‑highest daily total this year.
• Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the crossings “utterly unacceptable” and expects returns to France to start this month under the one‑in, one‑out scheme, which has detained people since August 6 but has not yet completed any removals.