A small boat carrying 140 asylum seekers was intercepted heading towards the Portsmouth coast on Sunday, 6 September. This is thought to be the first time such a large boat has been brought to Portsmouth.
HM Coastguard, Border Force, Border Security Command, Hampshire police, and south central ambulance service responded to the report. The boat's occupants were brought ashore and are being taken by coach to Manston, Kent, where small boat arrivals are processed.
Far-right activists descended on Portsmouth following a livestream by Daniel Thomas, also known as Danny Tommo, who encouraged viewers to travel to the port to join a protest.
A Home Office spokesperson stated that joint efforts have prevented over 48,000 crossing attempts and seized 1,100 boats and engines since the election. They added that the number of small boat crossings is down this year, with July recording the lowest number since 2020.