The Hayling Ferry, a small ferry service operating between Hayling Island and the Eastney area of Portsmouth, has condemned the UK's Border Force after its services were suspended to accommodate the disembarkation of 140 migrants. The company stated it lost half a day's worth of takings as a result of the operational pause.
According to Colin Hill, who runs the ferry, officials ordered the service to halt crossings on Sunday afternoon, leaving passengers stranded on Hayling Island. The ferry was then rerouted to Southsea Marina. "Border Force said you are not allowed to use Eastney pontoon - I don't know what power they've got to do that," Hill said, adding that the Eastney pontoon is an "unsuitable harbour" for migrant arrivals due to its limited access.
The migrants were brought ashore by two RNLI lifeboats, which were reportedly diverted to Eastney after being denied landing at Southampton Port and Portsmouth Harbour. French authorities had deployed five boats and two helicopters to shadow the migrants' vessel from Normandy, but the French voluntary rescue organization (SNSM) deemed it too risky to allow the migrants aboard their own lifeboats. The RNLI subsequently took over the rescue.
Hill questioned the handling of the situation, suggesting French authorities could have intervened earlier and that facilitating illegal entry into the UK might be a criminal offense. He also raised questions about the lifeboats' presence at sea without a May Day call.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized France's lack of early intervention, stating it puts lives at risk. He pointed to Belgium and Australia as examples of countries that have effectively stopped small boat crossings. Philp also criticized the UK government's expenditure on such issues while France reportedly refuses to take similar actions.
The RNLI has faced criticism and online harassment for its role in rescuing migrants, with the charity reporting assaults on some volunteers. RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes reiterated the charity's mission to save lives at sea, emphasizing that rescued individuals are immediately handed over to UK immigration authorities and that immigration is a political matter, not the RNLI's purview.
A Home Office spokesperson stated that the government is actively working to reduce small boat crossings, noting that arrivals between June and August were at their lowest point since 2020.