Small boat crossings in first half of year up 48%

In the first half of this year, about 20,000 people crossed the English channel in small boats in Britain and reached 48% in the first six months of 2024.

Only less than 1,500 people have crossed since Sunday, by the end of June 19,982, According to the data of the latest home office.

The figure for the first six months of this year is 75% higher than the figure equal to 2023, which was 11,433.

The conservatives said that the government “broke a new national record for failure”.

The ministers have first pointed to clean the weather and to keep the desire of the smugglers as the factors on the boats as a spike in the migration crossing.

Since coming to power in July last year, Labor has announced several measures to deal with smuggling, including a new criminal offense to endanger the lives of others in the sea.

Legislation Go through parliament People plan to use counter-terraler power against smugglers-with travel ban, social-media blackouts and suspects facing phone restrictions.

But the latest data shows that 2025 made a new record for the arrival of small boat in the first six months of the first year, as the data was first collected in 2018.

In 2024, 13,489 people coming to the UK were recorded in the first half of the year in home office data through small boats. In 2023, the figure was 11,433 – which was slightly less than 12,747 recorded a year ago.

Discussing on dealing with small boat crossings will be an important point when French President Emmanuel Macron visits UK later this week, the situation in the English channel “deteriorating last month after Downing Street.

French officials are considering allowing police or coastguard to intervene in shallow water to try to stop the so -called taxi boats that raise migrants from the beaches.

In addition, London and Paris are allegedly interacting on a deal, under which Britain may return some channel migrants in return to France in exchange for accepting the refugee of France seeking reunion of the family.

On Monday, the European Commission, the Executive Branch of the European Union, announced that it was in touch with the UK government, which was “seeking clarity” on the deal after the five -member states criticized the proposals.

Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus warned in a letter viewed by the Financial Times that the deal could be sent to people from Britain to their countries.

A commission spokesman said that the increasing number of channel migrants was “worrisome” – but it would accept only “solutions that are compatible with the European Union law and letters”.

Chhaya Home Secretary Chris Filp convicted the previous increase in labor on “tearing” Conservative government plan Some shelter seekers soon after taking over for Rwanda.

Filp said: “This is the worst year on record, and it is for a free-all.

“We need a removal so that every illegal immigrant who is removed every illegal immigrant outside Europe will be removed. Crossing will stop again.”

A home office spokesman said that “the government has put a serious plan together to launch these networks at all levels”.

This morning near Dunkark, the BBC saw a boat carrying about 20 migrants, which were making their way to the beach to take more people. But it developed the engine problem and started flowing.

The police landed people from the boat, but they were allowed to return to the city without inquiring about what happened.

Officials, however, slashed the dingi to ensure that it could not be used in another crossing attempt.

Several boats have been launched from other beaches and waterways along the coast of northern France.

The number of crossings may vary according to factors such as the supply of weather and boat parts.

Last month, Home Office Released data Showing that the number of “red days” – when situations are considered favorable for small boat crossings – at the peak in 2024–25.

But Dr. of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, Dr. Medeline Sympression stated that “there was no evidence to suggest that the weather is a major factor that explains a long -term increase in the arrival of a small boat.”

“The data published today suggests that in a long period of one year, the number of crossings seems broadly unrelated to the number of ‘red’ days.

He said, “Other factors, such as the number of people wishing to reach the UK and the number of smuggled gangs and professionalism are likely to be more important,” he said.