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Sky News ground to a halt to bring footage from the inquiry into the deadliest migrant Channel crossing on record. The tragedy occurred on November 23 and 24, 2021, when a crowded inflatable boat capsized overnight. Just two survivors were discovered in French waters nearly 12 hours after the first calls for help were issued. The inquiry, led by Sir Ross Cranston, identified 27 men, women and children among the dead, while four people are still missing. Cranston confirmed that loss of life had been avoidable, as he said in a statement: "The practice of small boat crossings must end. Apart from other reasons, it is imperative to prevent further loss of life.

Explaining how he reached his conclusion, he said: "I have heard from 22 witnesses who were questioned on my behalf by the inquiry council team. I also heard opening submissions from the council to the inquiry and opening and closing submissions from the council on behalf of the full participants.

"In the final weeks of the full hearing I heard impact statements from family members of some of the deceased. Those statements were recorded in the family members own language, and the recordings were played in the hearing room.

"A member of the inquiry team followed each recording with a reading of it in English.

"I should again express my gratitude for the evidence given by those family members. Part of my record is dedicated to those who died in the channel tragedy and to the impact it had on people's lives, and that has been a consistent feature of the inquiry's approach.

"We've always tried to keep the families of the disease at the centre of our work, and have always sought to bear in mind that for those who lost their lives on the 23rd to the 24th of November 2021 and for their families and friends. This is, above all, an immeasurable human tragedy," he said.

The report stated: "Travelling on board a small, unseaworthy and crowded boat, and crossing one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, is an inherently dangerous activity."

It also indicated "systematic failures, missed opportunities and inadequate resourcing" undermined the UK's search and rescue response to the tragedy.

The report said HM Coastguard was placed in an "intolerable position", with "chronic staff shortages" and "staff overwhelmed" at Dover, and other deficiencies, "contributing directly to the failure to rescue people in the water."

It claimed the issues had been known about for some time, but no action had been taken, representing a "significant, systemic failure on the part of government", then led by the then prime minister Boris Johnson.