More than 6,000 people have made the journey so far this year – an increase of about a quarter on the same period last year. According to the International Organisation for Migration, 10 people had drowned in the Channel in 2024 before Tuesday, plus one lorry death on a Channel crossing. Matthew Rycroft, the most senior civil servant in the Home Office, who has overseen the Rwanda scheme for two years, has told MPs he did not have evidence to show it would have a deterrent effect that would make it value for money.