The RNLI’s work in the Channel. A request to land an RNLI lifeboat carrying more than 100 migrants at the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth was refused on Sunday.
Associated British Ports (ABP), which operates the Port of Southampton, said there had been no “safety of life at sea issue” requiring Southampton to be used as the closest port. Reports have also stated that the King’s Harbour Master (KHM) in Portsmouth declined a request from the coastguard.
The decision has been followed by concerns over abuse directed at RNLI crews on social media, including the sharing of private information about individual rescuers without their consent.
Digital Secretary Lisa Nandy told the House of Commons that she was personally concerned about the issue of doxxing after Vikki Slade, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, raised concerns about “very disturbing posts” identifying RNLI rescuers.
Ms Slade asked what more the Government could do to remove social media posts that could put children and adults at risk by exposing their private information.
Ms Nandy said she had held an initial discussion with some technology companies about the issue and later stressed that the Government was concerned about the potential impact of doxxing.
The controversy surrounding the rescue has highlighted the increasingly polarised debate over illegal migration and the pressures faced by those involved in responding to incidents at sea.
RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes described illegal migration as a “polarising subject” and urged the public to be mindful of misinformation and its potential impact on others.
He stressed that the RNLI and its crews have one overriding purpose: saving people from drowning at sea.
He called on the public to support the charity’s volunteer crews and their families, rather than directing hostility towards them.
Mr Sparkes also expressed his pride and gratitude for the work of RNLI volunteers, noting that their lifesaving efforts had helped 389 families welcome their loved ones home safely last year.
Peter Sparkes issued a statement, regarding the RNLI’s ongoing efforts to save any migrants in distress in the Channel and the backlash that has followed:
“The RNLI is an apolitical organisation; we are completely independent of government, powered by remarkable, kind people and fuelled by the incredible generosity of the public.
“For over two hundred years, in all weathers, in peace and war, the RNLI and our amazing volunteers and staff have selflessly dedicated themselves to rescuing people they have never met before, without judgment, fear or favour. When His Majesty’s Coastguard tasks a RNLI lifeboat crew to launch to a vessel or people in distress, whenever and wherever they need us, we will. We will always answer the call, whoever needs our help. It is a legal and moral obligation that our country has, under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea and SOLAS, Safety of Life at Sea. Courage is the RNLI’s currency; dependable, loyal, service to others and our nations is our hallmark.
“Recent events have generated deliberate misinformation and a misunderstanding about the RNLI – our purpose, our tasking, and particularly our lifesaving work in the Channel. Sadly, as a result, some of our volunteers and staff have been the subject of online and, in the worst cases, physical abuse. The RNLI’s people represent the very best in our society, they selflessly give up their time to keep others safe. Yet they and their families are being threatened by those who would hide behind a balaclava or a keyboard. Their action, in contrast, is wholly unacceptable in a civilised society. We will take whatever steps we can, to care for and protect our people and their families.
“RNLI lifeboats were tasked by the coastguard and launched 9,058 times in 2025: 109 of those launches were to those in distress in the Channel, representing 1.2 per cent of the RNLI’s total rescue work. Nearly 95 per cent, of those who crossed the English Channel in small boats last year, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, were picked up by the UK Border Force. Our mission, and our tasking is to rescue those women, children and men in danger of drowning. Anyone rescued from a small boat by the RNLI is immediately handed over to the UK’s immigration authorities. Illegal immigration is a political issue; the RNLI exists to save lives at sea.
“I have seen ludicrous rumours that we house asylum seekers on RNLI premises, or that there are RNLI missions to move migrants to secret locations. These rumours are completely baseless and untrue.
“Illegal migration is a polarising subject that generates strong views, locally and nationally. But please be mindful of misinformation, the impact it has upon others, and be reassured that the RNLI and our crews strive only to prevent people like you and me from drowning at sea. Stand by them, not against them and their families. I am extremely proud of and grateful for their vital lifesaving work that meant 389 lives were saved last year; lives saved to be lives lived.
“To those who stand for and by the RNLI, thank you. This charity will continue to save lives at sea all around the UK and Ireland – as we always have and always will.”
Sincerely,
Peter Sparkes
RNLI Chief Executive
Main image by Mike Carter from Pixabay