Braverman seeks to backdate Channel crossings law amid fears of rush

Proposed law, criticised as cruel and unworkable, could be made to apply retrospectively from Tuesday

Refugees who cross the Channel in small boats from Tuesday could face detention and deportation under a new migration law that Labour and charities have called “unworkable” and “cruel”.

In an acknowledgment that the law will prompt a fresh rush of refugees across the Channel, the Home Office is seeking to make the illegal migration bill apply retrospectively from the day it is introduced to parliament, the Guardian has been told.