Presenter Ben Leo shared the latest update with viewers.
Ben Leo revealed that Home Office is spending £1.2 million to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats (Image: GB News)
GB News was halted for an urgent update on the migrant crisis as Ben Leo revealed a shocking figure. The GB News presenter told viewers that the Home Office is spending £1.2 million a year to buy and maintain boats used for rescue operations in the English Channel.
He said: “Let’s kick off this hour with a GB News alert because we can reveal that the Home Office is spending a staggering 1.2m a year of your money to buy and maintain Channel rescue boats. The fleet has aided the crossing of more than 70,000 small-boat migrants since Labour came to power in July 2024. The contract covers the rental of the crew’s rigid-hull inflatable boats. That’s according to the Daily Mail.”
He revealed that the Labour government has signed a three-year deal to repair other vessels, which is costing the taxpayer an additional £1.6m pounds.
Ben added: “Meanwhile, Andy Burnham has reportedly pledged to tear up asylum accommodation contracts should he manage to oust Keir Starmer as prime minister.
“The Greater Manchester mayor would instead prefer to devolve responsibility for housing asylum seekers to local authorities.”
Expressing his frustration over the latest report, the presenter fumed: “You’re just kicking the can down the round. You’re moving them to HMO’s and into communities. Nobody wants them. Stop them coming in the first place.”
GB News political correspondent Olivia Utley shared that more illegal migrants are expected to cross the Channel this weekend.
The UK recently signed a £662million deal with France which aims to strengthen security along the French coastline by deploying more officers and increasing patrols to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.
£160m of that money was to go towards a detention centre in France. However, in another setback for the government, an environmental group in France has lodged legal complaints against it, preventing it from being built.
“The British could withdraw that money if the detention centre isn’t built, that’s part of the conditional money, but again, it does feel like we go one step forward, two steps back with this problem,” Olivia added.
