The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has committed to ongoing rescue operations for asylum seekers in the Channel, even as its volunteers and staff report experiencing abuse. This follows recent high-profile incidents involving small boat landings.
RNLI bosses stated that workers have been subjected to both online and physical abuse. They also addressed what they called “baseless” rumours that the charity has provided housing for asylum seekers or moved them to undisclosed locations after bringing them ashore.
The charity emphasised that responding to small boats constitutes a minor part of its activities. In 2025, the RNLI launched lifeboats 9,058 times, with only 109 of these launches, or 1.2%, being for small boats in the Channel.
Peter Sparkes, the RNLI chief executive, stated that the charity has rescued people for over 200 years without judgment. He condemned the threats against staff, volunteers, and their families as “wholly unacceptable in a civilised society.” Sparkes also dismissed claims of the RNLI housing asylum seekers or moving migrants to secret locations as “completely baseless and untrue.”
Volunteer Dan Sinclair recounted a rescue where an overcrowded, unseaworthy boat was sinking, and a family was screaming. He described saving a little girl who thanked him, reinforcing his belief in their work. Another volunteer, Paula Lain, described pulling a man to safety who was losing strength and disappearing under the water.