Record number of people have crossed Channel in small boats since January | Immigration and asylum

A record number of people seeking asylum in small boats have crossed the Channel in the first six months of this year.

Home Office figures show 257 people made the journey in four boats on Sunday, bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 12,901.

The previous record for arrivals in the six months from January to June was 12,747 in 2022. In the first half of 2023, arrivals totaled 11,433.

The 2024 total to date is 17% higher than the number of arrivals recorded at this time last year (11,058) and 8% higher than the same period in 2022 (11,975).

Last year, a total of 29,437 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats, a 36% drop from the record 45,774 in 2022.

The figures were published a day after it emerged that an aide to the Home Secretary and a Conservative MP candidate had said government scheme for Rwanda ‘nonsense’.

In a leaked recording, James Sunderland, who is standing for re-election in Bracknell, was recorded criticizing the policy at a Young Conservatives event in April.

More than 3,000 arrivals have already been registered since the general election was called on May 22, with immigration a key campaign battleground.

In the past six and a half years, as the recent migration crisis unfolded, 127,246 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel, figures recorded since the start of 2018 show.

A total of 82,265 people have made the journey since the government struck a stalled deal to send migrants to Rwanda in April 2022.

The number of crossings since Rishi Sunak, who promised to “stop the boats”, became Prime Minister, is 49,964.

Downing Street said the government was continuing to “press” on Channel crossings.

Responding to crossings reaching a record high for the first half of the year, a Number 10 spokesman said: “We are constantly adapting and stepping up our efforts to respond to the changing tactics of serious crime groups who facilitate these incredibly dangerous journeys.

“But the actions we took made an impact. More than 8,000 passes have been intercepted by the French this year. And more than 10,000 illegal migrants have been returned to their country of origin. We have announced an additional £25m of additional funding to improve investigative capabilities to disrupt the supply chain and improve intelligence sharing.

“So we continue to wrestle with this issue. But ultimately, as the Prime Minister has also said on many occasions, it is important that we have the Rwanda plan so that we can have a deterrent that will fundamentally disrupt the business model of these criminal gangs and thus stop the boats. “

Ministers have promised to continue the Rwanda scheme if the Conservatives win the election. Labor has promised to scrap it and instead redirect the money to fund extra enforcement activity.