Home Office spends £2.5million on chartering boats to rescue migrants crossing Channel
CHANNEL migrants are helped ashore as a row brews over millions of pounds spent chartering boats to rescue them.
Vessels carrying up to 100 people have been hired by the Home Office at a cost of £2.5million, government contracts reveal.
Private operator Aeolian Offshore signed a £1.97million deal to provide three boats for six months, working out of Ramsgate, Kent.
A further £564,000 was handed to CWind for several months’ boat hire.
Last night critics said the spending showed the threat of Home Secretary Priti Patel’s Rwanda deportations policy have failed.
A record 25,000 migrants have crossed from France this year.
Read more on migrants
The flights to relocate asylum-seekers are on hold amid legal wrangling.
Shadow Home Office minister Stephen Kinnock said: “The government’s management of our borders has been shockingly incompetent.”
The Home Office said: “We’ll always ensure Border Force have the resources.”
