A British Cabinet minister was met with jeers on national television after falsely claiming that most illegal migrants crossing the English Channel are “children, babies and women.”
Darren Jones, a senior figure in the Labour government, made the claim during a BBC Question Time debate—despite official data showing the opposite. According to the UK Home Office, over 83% of Channel arrivals this year were adult men. Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf challenged Jones live on air, stating: “No, they’re not,” to applause from the audience.
Jones defended his remarks, saying he had seen women and children arriving firsthand. But critics say he is misrepresenting the scale and nature of illegal migration for political ends.
Conservative MP Chris Philp said Jones was “completely out of touch with reality,” calling it a “dangerous distortion.” Downing Street declined to provide evidence, saying only that its focus remains on targeting criminal smuggling gangs.
