UK struggles to cope with migrant crisis across English Channel

The UK government on Monday was struggling to find a solution to an escalating crisis involving small boats of migrants crossing the English Channel from France to seek refuge in Britain.

Most of the migrants are from the Middle East, with a latest group of 12 Iranians detained from a dinghy off the Kent coastline. UK home secretary Sajid Javid cut short his Christmas and New Year holiday to return to work on Monday to chair a crisis meeting with Border Force officials in an attempt to find a solution.

In a column in 'The Daily Telegraph', the senior Pakistani-origin UK Cabinet minister described the rise in perilous attempts to cross the English Channel as "deeply concerning" and vowed that the government "will not stand by and allow reckless criminals to take advantage of some of the most vulnerable in our global society".

"The weather conditions are often treacherous and the inflatable boats being used are woefully ill-equipped to make such a dangerous journey," he wrote, amid growing criticism from within his own Conservative Party ranks of not doing enough to stem the crisis.

"The migrants who choose to make the journey are putting their lives in grave danger," he said.

After the detention of the latest set of migrants on Monday morning, the UK Home Office said: "They all received a medical assessment and have now been transferred to immigration officials for interview."