Review ordered as second small boat in two days evades Border Force to reach UK

The Home Secretary has ordered an urgent review after Border Force failed to intercept a second migrant boat within two days, reaching the Kent coast. Twenty-one people were detained by Border Security Command after a dinghy landed at Samphire Hoe, Dover, on Tuesday afternoon, and the Home Office did not say whether others were still being sought. The decision follows a Monday landing at Folkestone that officials described as the first undetected arrival in a year. Unescorted small-boat landings since September 6, 2025, had not been officially recorded. This week’s beach landings are being investigated amid rare Channel crossing incidents; 17,480 migrants have arrived by boat so far in 2026, down 46% year-on-year.