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Report

29 Apr 2025

Author:
By Universities of Liverpool, York, Sheffield and Nottingham (UK)

Border Security Contracts linked to small boat Channel crossings

See all tags Allegations

…This briefing has been produced by a team of researchers from the Universities of Liverpool, York, Sheffield and Nottingham. It is part of a larger project, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which is exploring UK government responses to small boat Channel crossings.

There are no safe or legal routes by which to enter the UK in order to make an application for asylum, and we know that a majority of people who cross apply for asylum and are recognised as refugees. Small boat Channel crossings started in 2018. This happened because other routes to enter the UK to claim asylum (such as stowing away in lorries) had become very difficult as a consequence of enhanced border security in Northern France. People who cross the Channel in small boats often seek the services of smugglers.

Both the Conservative and Labour governments of recent years have drawn attention to the profits being made from the business of smuggling. As part of our research, we were interested to find out how much money is being made by the legal flip side of this business of smuggling: the business of bordering…

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