Experts raise doubts over plan for Royal Navy to control Channel crossings

Last year, 28,431 people crossed the Channel in small boats to reach the UK – three times the number in 2020. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

The credibility of the government’s plan to put the Royal Navy in charge of coordinating efforts to control small boats in the Channel is expected to be questioned by an influential parliamentary committee.

A report by the defence select committee, to be delivered shortly, will raise doubts over whether plans to put the Royal Navy in charge have been rigorously tested.