Number of Migrants by Small Boats to Britain Reaches Record High
July 1, 202524 ViewsRead Time: 1 minutes
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Nearly 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats since the beginning of 2025, a record high for the first six months of the year, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the government works to reduce these numbers.
Figures from the UK Home Office showed 879 migrants arriving on Monday, bringing the total number of arrivals in the first half of 2025 to 19,982, a 50% increase compared to the same period last year.
Starmer is under pressure to deal with thousands of people crossing the English Channel each year on dangerous inflatable boats, a key issue for voters as he pledged to "smash the gangs" behind human trafficking.
The government says that over 24,000 people who are not entitled to stay in the UK have been returned since taking office last July, and that good weather and new methods of cramming more people onto boats are helping more migrants cross the channel. In 2024, 73 people died trying to cross the channel on small boats.
Figures from the UK Home Office showed 879 migrants arriving on Monday, bringing the total number of arrivals in the first half of 2025 to 19,982, a 50% increase compared to the same period last year.
Starmer is under pressure to deal with thousands of people crossing the English Channel each year on dangerous inflatable boats, a key issue for voters as he pledged to "smash the gangs" behind human trafficking.
The government says that over 24,000 people who are not entitled to stay in the UK have been returned since taking office last July, and that good weather and new methods of cramming more people onto boats are helping more migrants cross the channel. In 2024, 73 people died trying to cross the channel on small boats.
