OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Ieuan Jehu. Ed
As any enthusiastic follower of the news will know, a “dog bites man” story will never grab the same levels of attention as “man bites dog”. It is exceptional events which are newsworthy.
The story behind the story
So, the story of 140 people being picked up by the brave volunteers from the RNLI, en-route from Cherbourg to Hampshire, of course grabs the headlines in a way six people being picked up in small boat off the Kent coast never will.
The latter happens all of the time, while the former is an anomaly (incidentally, it’s for the same reason that you are unlikely to ever read the headline “white English man grooms grandchild”).
What the numbers actually show
The out of the ordinary nature of this story has clearly shocked many, provoking an emotional response, but facts can provide context and reassurance:
- while the boats are getting bigger (the average number of people on board increasing from 64 last August to 77 this year) fewer people are making the crossing.
- despite the calm weather, the number of people arriving by small boat this August was down 35% on last year and was the lowest number since 2020.
- fewer people are now attempting to claim asylum, with claims down 21% in the year to June
- claims are being processed more swiftly and the backlog is being cleared. Cases waiting for an initial decision fell by 73% to 35,700 in March 2026, down from a peak of 134,000 in June 2023.
- More claims are being refused, with negative decisions up 57% year-on-year as officials processed applications at a faster rate.
- deportations are up, with a total of 39,000 returns from the UK recorded in the year ending March 2026. That’s a 36% increase on the 28,751 returns in the same period in the year to March ‘24.
All of which means that there are fewer people in receipt of asylum support now than there were when Labour were elected to government.
Fewer people needing support
At the end of June 2026, there were 25% fewer individuals in receipt of asylum support than at the end of September 2023, when the number of supported asylum seekers peaked at 123,758 people.
Hotels emptying out
Furthermore, there are fewer people being housed in hotels (down 71% from a peak of 56,000 in 2023 to 16,021 in June ‘26) and fewer former hotels being used to house asylum claimants (160 this year compared to over 400 in 2023).
No processing hub on the Island
It’s also worth noting that, for all of the scaremongering about fantastical plans to turn the Island into a migrant processing hub, none of the people picked up in the Channel on Sunday were brought to the Isle of Wight, despite brave volunteer lifeboat crews from the Island being central to the rescue operation.
Who benefits from the fear?
With the progress Labour is making on bringing down irregular migration, it might not be long before any small boat crossing will be a “man bites dog” story. But there are some who pretend that this is a growing problem and you have to question why?
Why do some want us to believe, despite all of the evidence that the government is getting on top of the problems with immigration, that our government is not listening to us?
Why do influencers who make all of their money from social media accounts promoting anti-migrant content, politicians who are funded by an international oligarchy, and their friends in the billionaire owned right-wing media, want us to feel afraid, angry, and ignored?
Take the win
The truth is, if you have been trying to send a message to successive governments that you want them to stop the boats, you have been heard. Take the win.
This government has acted. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying to you for their own personal or political gain.
