Small boat arrivals to UK to rise by 25% by 2024, figures show

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The number of migrants crossing the English Channel into the UK has risen by a quarter over the past 12 months, government data showed on Wednesday.

In the year A total of 36,816 people arrived in Britain on small boats in 2024, a 25 per cent increase on the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, provisional figures published by the Home Office show.

The figure will put pressure on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to crack down on illegal immigration after he vowed to “crush the gangs” who control the smuggling trade during last year’s general election campaign.

Immigration And asylum is now the second most important issue to voters after the economy, beating out health, according to a tracking study by research firm YouGov.

That makes 2024 the second highest year for Channel crossings since the data was first collected in 2018. However, there was a 20 percent drop in 2022, when the peak year saw 45,774 arrivals.

The last crossing took place on December 29, with 291 people traveling from France on six boats. Bad weather prevented the crossing in the last two days of the year.

After the Tories suffered their worst-ever defeat in July’s general election, former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was forced to admit he had failed to deliver on his promise to “stop the boats”.

In the first part of the year, leading up to the July 4 election day, a higher number of migrants crossed over than in previous years.

In that period, 13,574 migrants entered the UK, up 19 per cent on the same period last year and up 5 per cent on the same period in 2022, according to an analysis of Home Office data by the PA news agency.

After Labour’s landslide victory, the number of people arriving by the end of 2024 was higher than the previous year but lower than the same period in 2022.

Last year was considered the deadliest for Channel crossings, according to data from the French Coast Guard. At least 53 people have died while traveling on the world’s busiest cruise line, and some campaign groups believe the number is higher.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said ministers had a moral responsibility to tackle cross-Channel crossings but refused to put a deadline on the government’s pledge to reduce the number “rapidly”.

Starmer insists Labor has “inherited a very bad place” from the previous Tory administration, insisting Labor has focused too much on the “gimmick” of turning away asylum seekers arriving in Rwanda on small boats.

Abandoning the controversial plan when he entered Downing Street, the UK has turned its attention to deeper cooperation with European allies and international law enforcement agencies.

In 2024, an average of 53 migrants arrived per boat, four times more than in 2023, and a significant increase from 2018, when the average boat carried seven people.

The number of people arriving in the UK on small boats last year was lower than Italy, Spain and Greece.