Home Office spending £1.2m a year to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats

The Home Office is splashing out a staggering £1.2million a year to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats.

The fleet, which patrols the English Channel, has aided the crossing of more than 70,000 small-boat migrants since Labour came to power in 2024.

The £1.259million contract covers the rental of the crewed rigid-hull inflatable boats (RIBs) for a year, with an option to extend the deal for an additional two years.

Labour has also signed a three-year deal to repair other RIBs and boats, costing the taxpayer an additional £1.6million, according to The Daily Mail.

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Last month saw the Government secure four catamarans at a cost of £30million across three years, tasked with retrieving migrants who find themselves in danger while attempting the crossing from France.

The new RIBs will operate in support of the larger catamaran vessels as warmer conditions drive an uptick in crossing attempts.

In the past week, GB News revealed more than 1,000 migrants made the perilous journey over the calm waters while Britain basked in temperatures soaring as high as 35C.

Contract specifications for the Border Security Command reveal that the 8.5-metre craft must accommodate at least 20 rescued individuals for transfer to larger search-and-rescue vessels or direct return to shore.

Crews will work continuous eight-hour rotations, with accommodation and meals provided under the agreement.

The boats require sustained speeds of 20 knots and the ability to burst to 40 knots, in the case of migrant vessels that fail to stop.

The quartet of new catamarans have been named BSC Enterprise, BSC Contender, BSC Courageous and BSC Intrepid, replacing older vessels in the fleet.

Measuring 79 feet long and 29 feet wide, these upgraded crafts represent what officials describe as better value for money than their predecessors.

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Each catamaran possesses capacity to transport up to 80 migrants at a time.

The boats have been leased from Boatserv, a company typically engaged in underwater cable installation work.

Since 2018, when the crisis began, more than 200,000 migrants have traversed the dangerous waterway before reaching the shores of Britain.

Sir Keir Starmer had pledged to "smash the gangs" responsible for the dangerous crossings, but his administration has struggled to deliver results.

Just 7,612 migrants have been removed from the country.

A separate maintenance contract will direct £1.4million specifically towards Border Force RIBs currently in service.

Crossings are expected to intensify through the summer months.

GB News has reached out to the Home Office for comment.

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