RNLI-Border Force row reveals ‘chaos’ in maritime rescue before Channel tragedy

Questions about UK Coastguard's reliance on charity after lifeboat volunteers asked to cover for Border Force to aid stricken vessel

A volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) allegedly accused Border Force crews of not doing their job", during a spat in which the charity refused a coastguard request to rescue a migrant boat. The incident came days before a mass drowning that was the deadliest Channel disaster for more than 30 years.

The coastguard were told that the RNLI crew would only launch if you've got people in the water" after it was asked to plug a gap in Border Force coverage, according to internal documents seen by the Guardian and Liberty Investigates, which reveal tensions between agencies involved in rescuing small boats in the Dover Strait.