The Government is right to try and put a stop to this by going after the smuggling gangs involved. But, as we highlighted in the i, the laws around this are flawed, and see refugees themselves being prosecuted.

The lack of safe and legal routes means that tragically men, women and children are forced on petrifying, too often fatal journeys in the arms of smuggling gangs in the hope of finding safety in Britian.

Though we welcome this announcement, safe and legal routes only work when they operate at scale, and we are concerned these plans will only help a relatively small number of people. For it to work, the Government must show ambition and commit to supporting people in the thousands, not hundreds.

Safe and legal routes are also vital for undermining the people smugglers’ business model, giving people a safe alternative to a life-threatening journey to reach safety. Only yesterday, three people including a child tragically lost their lives on a desperate journey across the Channel.

Safe and legal routes are essential because they enable men, women and children to find a safe way out of the conflict and violence that render their lives dangerous.

Yesterday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood promised to expand safe and legal routes so that some people in need of safety will be able to come to Britain safely.

Today we welcome the Government's commitment to expanding safe and legal routes for refugees, an essential policy for undermining the people smugglers’ business model.

Too many men, women and children are forced on treacherous journeys like these, not by choice, but through desperation and the lack of safe alternatives.

We are thinking about the many people who will have been affected by this morning's tragedy. Refugees are often ordinary people who have been through unimaginably difficult situations.

Imran Hussain, Executive Director of External Affairs at the Refugee Council, said: "We are deeply saddened to learn three people, including a child, have died, and more may have been seriously injured while crossing the Channel in the hope of finding safety in Britain.

Asylum hotels symbolise a failing system in which slow and poor quality decision-making leave people stuck in the asylum system for far too long. People who have fled war and persecution come to Britain to be safe and move on.