People smugglers involved in organizing small boat crossings across the English Channel are sedating children for the journey, the UK government has said.

Solicitor General Lucy Rigby told MPs that Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors had warned her that gangs are attempting to make children more compliant by giving them sedatives during the crossing between France and England, according to news reports.

She said: "I've heard from CPS prosecutors about the deplorable actions that these smugglers take. Not only facilitating very young children being aboard the boats, but even sedating them to ensure that they are compliant during the crossing."

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Government response and crossings data

Home Office figures show the most recent small boat crossing took place on August 26, 2025, according to news outlets.

More than 29,000 migrants have reached Britain on small boats this year. The “one-in, one-out” pilot scheme -- announced by the Home Secretary -- will see small-boat arrivals returned to France, in exchange for an equivalent number of legally approved asylum seekers entering the UK, according to government announcements reported in the press.

The Home Office has also begun running digital adverts in northern France -- in languages such as French, Pashto, Farsi, and Arabic -- warning that people who attempt the journey are likely to be deported back to France, according to reports.

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Political debate and child safety concerns

Labour MP Alex Ballinger raised concerns from his constituents, calling for tougher action against smugglers putting women and children at risk. Rigby replied that the government was "absolutely determined to break the business model of the people smugglers, that way protecting our borders and stopping lives, including young lives, being put in such danger."

However, the government’s increasingly hardline approach to asylum has drawn wider criticism. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has suspended the refugee family reunion scheme and introduced new strict criteria -- including a 29,000 pounds minimum income threshold. Aid groups and political opponents argue that these measures risk pushing vulnerable children toward smugglers due to the lack of safe and legal alternatives, reported by The Guardian.

Rigby also criticised opposition parties, contrasting Labour’s record on borders and accusing Reform UK of being "happy to stoke anger but [having] absolutely no answers."

The two parties, along with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, will debate migration on Sky News on September 10.

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Dispute over record

The Conservatives also challenged Rigby’s remarks. Tory shadow solicitor general Helen Grant said that she completely disagrees with what the solicitor general said about the last government's handling of these issues. "I do think it's a bit rich...in view of her government's record in the last 12 months."

Rigby, meanwhile, highlighted that prosecutions for facilitating illegal migration into the UK have risen by 67 percent, removals of illegal migrants reached 35,000, and deportations of failed asylum seekers increased by 30 percent. She stressed: "Anyone involved in the vile trade of people smuggling will be met with the full force of the law."

Meanwhile the government's focus on people smugglers overlooks why people flee in the first place -- such as war, persecution, and poverty. Research shows deterrence policies rarely stop migration; instead, they often push people onto more dangerous routes. Analysts say expanding safe legal pathways and addressing root causes are more effective long-term responses.

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With AFP