Four people die in Channel crossing attempt, French authorities say Rescue efforts remain under way after the incident off the coast of northern France, local media is reporting.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Policing the Channel alone is not enough to prevent dangerous crossings. The government should work closely with our European neighbours to share responsibility and create more safe pathways for people to come to the UK without taking dangerous journeys.

A lack of safe routes to the UK has left people feeling they have no other choice to rebuild their lives: the government has even shut down family reunion for refugees, which overwhelmingly supported women and children.

Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the four people who have tragically died in the Channel attempting to reach safety in the UK. People who have escaped devastating wars and brutal regimes in countries like Sudan and Afghanistan are being driven into small boats by desperation.

UK and France fail to agree new deal to stop small boat crossings The home secretary said a two-month extension to negotiations was necessary because the UK wanted ‘more bang for our buck’ from the deal

Policing the Channel alone is not enough to stop small boat crossings. As we told The Independent, the government must address why people take dangerous journeys in the first place: there are not enough safe and legal routes to the UK.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Briefing: Protecting Children in UK Asylum & Settlement Reform - Refugee Council This is our February 2026 parliamentary briefing setting out child‑centred reforms.

Children are children first. Our new briefing sets out reforms designed to centre and protect children in the wake of the government's new asylum and settlement changes: stable status, safe family reunion, fair age assessment and independent guardianship.

www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/stay-informe...

Read our full analysis here: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/stay-informe...

Now the government wants to cut that time to 42 days.

Refugees want to stand on their own two feet: find work, pay their way and rebuild their lives. But they need to be properly supported first.

When the Home Office ran a pilot giving people 56 days to find a place to live, it kept an estimated 1,000 households out of homelessness and eased pressure on overstretched councils.

But even with 56 days, less than half of the refugees we surveyed were able to secure housing.

Alek was handed a few contact numbers for support services, but most didn't answer.

"I became homeless for weeks. I slept rough outside and I rode buses with no destination. It was extremely cold outside. I would not wish that experience even to my worst enemy."

As soon as Alek was granted his status in 2022, he faced a ticking clock.

"Along with refugee status came a letter telling me to leave the hotel accommodation," Alek says.

"Now I was confused but had to leave. There was no proper guidance."

Receiving refugee status in the UK should be a moment for people to celebrate and finally start rebuilding their lives in safety, after escaping war and persecution.

Instead, they have to overcome endless bureaucratic hurdles and the threat of homelessness.

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Forcing people to leave the UK before they can appeal flawed decisions risks sending men, women and children back to situations where they may face real danger.

If the Government wants to restore confidence in the asylum system, the priority should be improving decision making.

The Government’s own figures show that up to two in every three asylum appeals are successful. That means many people who are initially refused are later recognised by the courts as genuine refugees, who have fled war and persecution.

The government intends to ramp up deportations to so-called “safe” countries – including ones currently at war like Ukraine - before people have a chance to appeal failed asylum applications in the UK.

But as we pointed out, many people are rejected unfairly and incorrectly.

Asylum appeal backlog doubles in a year, Home Office statistics show More than 80,000 people waiting to be reassessed after rejection at end of 2025 – 91% more than a year before

Last week, it was revealed that a record high of 100,000+ people were waiting to appeal their asylum decision.

Poor-quality decision-making by the Home Office is keeping people stuck in limbo for years, unable to work or rebuild their lives.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Asylum seekers waiting over a year for claim in UK may be allowed to work under new measures Shabana Mahmood hopes to reduce number of claimants in hotels by enabling them to support themselves

Last week, it was announced that some people seeking asylum will lose support and accommodation.

Forcing people into destitution or sleeping rough won't fix the system. Instead, it will shift costs to local authorities and the NHS, making cases harder to resolve

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Making refugee status temporary will only keep people trapped in uncertainty, weaken integration and cost up to £725 million.

Read our joint statement on these new asylum changes.

@welshrefcouncil.bsky.social @scotrefugeecouncil.bsky.social

www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/press-office...

Refugee families who have survived war and persecution will now face renewed uncertainty every 30 months. Refugees should be able to put down roots: settle into communities, learn English and find work.

Our analysis also shows this new workload will cost up to £725 million over the first 10 years.

Minister makes major vow on safe routes - 'alternative to small boat crossings' Home Office minister Mike Tapp said the Government is committed to extending safe and legal routes to the UK - as he pointed to a rise in grants last year

People fleeing war and oppression are being pushed into dangerous journeys because safe and legal routes are being shut down.

In the last three months of 2025, there was a 35% drop in people granted protection through resettlement schemes, compared to 2024.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Read our full reaction to today's numbers here:

www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/press-office...

But hotels could be closed this year through a one-off scheme for people from countries who are almost guaranteed to be recognised as refugees, giving them temporary leave subject to rigorous security checks.

That way, the government could focus on making fair and fast decisions.

More than 100,000 people claimed asylum last year, official figures show Number of small boat migrants rose over past year as average of 71 people now being crammed onto dinghies

Although today's immigration statistics show progress, tens of thousands of people are still stuck in hotels for months or years, unable to legally work or rebuild their lives.

Asylum hotels cost billions, spark division, and keep people trapped in uncertainty

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Woman in a Ukrainian flag standing in front of a church with a young girl.

Today, on the four-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, we're thinking of the Ukrainian refugees we work with every day at the Refugee Council, and their courage as they rebuild their lives here in Britain.

Loss of life was avoidable in worst small boat disaster in Channel, inquiry finds Cranston report highly critical of systemic failings and missed opportunities around deaths of at least 33 people

These findings will be heartbreaking for the families of those who died on 24 November 2021.

This needless loss of life shows how desperate people are to reach safety, and why it is so vital to have safe and legal routes to allow people to get to the UK.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Our outgoing Chief Executive @enversol.bsky.social joined the Law & Disorder podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on asylum in the UK, and why it's so important that we continue our proud legacy of offering safety to those fleeing war and persecution: open.spotify.com/episode/0NAy...

Football is our national obsession - and one of the best ways to bring people together.

Fair Shot's incredible team of refugees and people seeking asylum played football with Barnsley FC fans this weekend.

Watch them talk to ITV Calendar about how sport unites us:

www.itv.com/watch/news/b...

At most, Crowborough will accommodate about 1.5% of the current hotel population. Camps are not the answer. As @refugeecouncil.bsky.social's Imran Hussain set out in the Times this morning, the way to end the use of hotels is to move people out of the asylum system www.thetimes.com/comment/lett...

Baroness Lister is right to challenge the absence of child rights impact assessments for the Government's latest asylum proposals.

Leaving children in prolonged uncertainty is not only damaging for them, but undermines confidence that these policies will work in the long term.