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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Lizzie Dearden

Labour bid to ‘smash the gangs’ could add to death risk for Channel migrants

Migrants boarding a dinghy in France
Migrants climb on to a dinghy on the French coast, hoping to cross the Channel to England. Forty-three people have died this year attempting the crossing. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/Reuters

Deaths in the English Channel are expected to rise to “devastating” new highs over the coming months, with charities and experts warning that Labour’s action against smugglers could trigger increasingly dangerous methods to launch boats.

A record of 43 people have died attempting to cross the Channel this year, 35 of them at sea, with six children and a pregnant woman among 12 people who drowned in a disaster on Tuesday.

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