EXCLUSIVE: GB News interrupted for breaking migrant b0mbshell – it’s awful for Andy Burnham
GB News interrupted its coverage with a breaking update after reports emerged that another migrant dinghy may have reached UK waters without initially being detected.
The latest incident was raised by GB News reporter Mark White, who said the broadcaster believed a third small boat had made its way into British waters overnight.
“Breaking news now. GB News believes another migrant dinghy may have made it to UK waters last night undetected,” he told viewers.
The development follows two other reported incidents earlier in the week involving boats reaching the Kent coast.
Coastguard Aircraft Spots Vessel
Ellie Costello told viewers that the boat was eventually spotted by a coastguard aircraft at around 9pm.
She said lifeboats were then dispatched to collect those on board.
“While the migrant vessel was eventually spotted by a coastguard aircraft at around 9pm and lifeboats then scrambled to pick up the occupants, it’s unclear why French authorities failed to spot the boat in the water,” she reported.
Costello added that the incident came after two reported “undetected beach landings” on the Kent coast on Monday and Tuesday.
A map shown during the broadcast appeared to show a Coastguard aircraft circling above the English Channel close to the UK coast.
Mark White added that two lifeboats and a Border Security Command vessel had been sent to the area.
Fresh Questions Over Small Boat Crossings
The latest report prompted renewed discussion on the programme about the tactics used by people-smuggling networks.
Political commentator Scarlett McGwire, a former Labour adviser, suggested smugglers frequently change their methods when authorities increase pressure on particular routes or tactics.
“The thing about these traffickers is they are very rich and they are utterly ruthless, and they are absolutely determined to see it through,” she said.
McGwire argued that the situation remained difficult to interpret fully, while also claiming there had been progress in reducing crossings.
“Nobody quite understands what is going on, but the good news is we have nearly halfed it. It is beginning to work!” she said.
That was McGwire’s assessment during the broadcast, rather than a figure independently verified in the supplied source.
Pressure Mounts Over Border Control
The reported incident is likely to add to the political pressure surrounding the government’s handling of small boat crossings.
According to the GB News report, questions remain over how the vessel was able to travel so far before being identified and why it was not apparently intercepted earlier.
The broadcaster framed the incident as the third such development in a matter of days.
For the government, the episode is another reminder that border enforcement and Channel crossings remain highly sensitive issues.
The immediate facts surrounding the vessel, including how long it travelled undetected and exactly where it was first identified, were still unclear in the source at the time of reporting.
What was clear from the broadcast was that emergency services were eventually dispatched after the Coastguard aircraft located the boat near the UK coast.
