Channel crossings by migrants pass 20,000 in record time
Some 440 people made the journey in eight boats on Tuesday, bringing the total for 2025 so far to 20,422, Home Office figures confirmed.
This is up 50% on this point last year (13,574) and 79% higher than at this stage in 2023 (11,433), according to PA news agency analysis.
It is the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 20,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.
Last year the figure was passed on August 28, and in 2023 it was August 29.
The first year in which at least 20,000 arrivals were recorded was 2022, when the milestone was passed on August 14, and the total went on to hit a record 45,774 by the end of December.
The figures come as Channel crossings continued on Wednesday, with pictures showing migrants in life jackets and blankets disembarking a Border Force vessel in Dover, Kent.
Cabinet minister Pat McFadden told LBC on Wednesday 'everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge'.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said: 'We are going to have to work harder to bring the numbers down.
'Everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge, and as a team we are determined to meet it.'
Pressed specifically on whether the numbers would be down by this time next year, Mr McFadden said: 'I'm not going to make a prediction.'
Asked again for an assurance that the numbers will reduce, he added: 'I can give you an assurance that the numbers at the moment are too high. We are working together to tackle this.'
The Government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill is continuing through Parliament, and will hand counter terror-style powers to police and introduce new criminal offences to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.
It has been reported that the UK and France are agreeing a one in, one out migrant returns deal, under which migrants who arrive in the UK by small boats are returned to France, in exchange for the UK accepting those with legitimate claims to join family already in the country.
Meanwhile French officials have also agreed to changes that would allow police patrolling the coast to take action in the sea when migrants climb into boats from the water, which is yet to come into effect.
The UK's borders watchdog, David Bolt, said in June he did not feel 'very optimistic about the ability to smash the gangs', adding that with organised crime 'the best thing you can do is deflect it to something else you're less concerned about rather than expect to eradicate it'.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'One year into Labour's Government and the boats haven't stopped – they've multiplied.
'Labour tore up our deterrent and replaced it with fantasy.
'This is the worst year on record, and it's become a free-for-all.
'We need a removals deterrent so every single illegal immigrant who arrives is removed to a location outside Europe.
'The crossings will then rapidly stop.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Bill to ban young kittens and puppies being imported into UK passed by MPs
Legislation put forward by Liberal Democrat MP Dr Danny Chambers will reduce the number of animals for non-commercial entry into the UK, ban the import of puppies and kittens under six months old or heavily pregnant dogs and cats, and introduce a halt on the import of dogs and cats who have been 'mutilated', including having their ears docked. The MP for Winchester's Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill was supported by the Government, and will now proceed to the House of Lords on its passage to becoming law. Dr Chambers said: 'As a vet, I've seen the devastating consequences of puppy smuggling. It's unimaginably cruel to separate puppies and kittens from their mothers at a very young age, and then bring them across borders in substandard conditions where they're then sold for maximum profit by unscrupulous traders who prioritise profit over welfare.' He added: 'Careful consideration has been given to setting these limits, balancing the need to disrupt illegal trade with minimising impact on genuine pet owners. To underpin this, only an owner, not an authorised person, will be permitted to sign and declare that the movement of a dog or cat is non-commercial. 'Crucially, the Bill places a duty on the Government to use these regulation-making powers to first deliver three key measures – a ban on the import of puppies and kittens under six months old, a ban on the import of heavily pregnant dogs and cats that are more than 42 days pregnant, and a ban on the import of dogs and cats who've been mutilated.' He criticised the influence of social media on the increased demand for dogs with docked ears, and a party colleague hit out at the platforms' role in publishing animal abuse. He said: 'One reason that there is such an interest in dogs with cropped ears is that a lot of influencers on Instagram and other social media platforms pose with these dogs or show they have these new dogs with cropped ears. Many people aren't aware that this is a mutilation. 'They think it's how the dogs' ears normally look, and it drives a demand for dogs that look like this.' Labour MP Peter Lamb (Crawley) directly named Meta, which owns Facebook, as a company that publishes content featuring animal abuse. He said: 'There are far too many groups online which are dedicated to animal abuse. Constituents of mine have been involved in attempts to try and shut these groups down over the years. 'They'll also often find that instead of finding support on the part of social media companies, to try and address these problems, instead it is they who are reported and face their own accounts being shut down by those perpetrators.' He added: 'We cannot rest on our laurels and Meta must be made to answer for the fact that they are not acting to bring an end to animal abuse on their networks, and that they are profiting actively from the advertising which appears on that network, and advertisers must be aware that part of what they are paying for, when they pay to advertise on Facebook, is maintenance of animal abuse networks.' Environment minister Emma Hardy said: 'These measures represent a crucial step forward in our collective efforts to tackle the pet smuggling trade.' Ms Hardy added: 'We want to see fewer low-welfare operations supply pets to the GB market and fundamentally less animals to suffer because of this.' She continued: 'As set out in the Government's manifesto, we are committed to ending puppy smuggling and delivering a better future for our animals and I am pleased to say that this Bill does just that. 'It's key measures deliver crucial recommendations put forward by the Efra (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) select committee and tackle multiple concerns that have been raised by stakeholders regarding loopholes in our current pet travel rules.'
Glasgow Times
18 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
PM's Europe ‘reset' has delivered change in French tactics on small boats: No 10
Number 10 said reports French police officers had used knives to puncture a boat in waters off the French coast for the first time were a 'significant moment' that could have 'a major impact' on smuggling gangs. A spokesman said: 'We welcome action from French law enforcement to take action in shallow waters, and what you have seen in recent weeks is a toughening of their approach.' The Government has repeatedly pushed for French authorities to do more to prevent boats leaving the shore, including changing existing rules to allow police officers to intervene when dinghies are in the water. Those changes have not yet come into effect, but reports on Friday suggested tougher action was already being taken. French rules have previously prevented police officers from intervening when people attempt to board small boats in the Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA) Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she welcomed the reports, adding she had been 'working very closely with the French interior minister' to ensure the rules were changed 'as swiftly as possible'. Downing Street attributed the change in stance from French law enforcement was thanks to the Prime Minister's 'reset' in relations with Europe, as he has looked to heal the wounds caused by the Brexit years. The spokesman said: 'No government has been able to get this level of co-operation with the French. That is important. 'We are looking to see France change its maritime tactics, and that is down to the Prime Minister's efforts to reset our relationship across Europe.' But a charity operating in northern France told the PA news agency that French police had already been intervening in crossing attempts in shallow waters despite the new rules not yet being in place. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had been working closely with her French counterpart, Bruno Retailleau, to change French rules 'as swiftly as possible' (Henry Nicholls/PA) Kate O'Neill, advocacy coordinator at Project Play, said: 'This is not a new tactic … it's something that has been happening for a long time in Calais and surrounding areas.' She also warned it was a 'dangerous' tactic as children were 'often in the middle of the boats'. In its manifesto last year, Labour promised to 'smash the gangs' smuggling people across the Channel in small boats. But a year into Sir Keir's premiership, the number of people making the journey has increased to record levels. Some 20,600 people have made the journey so far this year, up 52% on the same period in 2024. Downing Street acknowledged that the numbers 'must come down', but could not guarantee that they would in the next year. On Friday, Ms Cooper said part of the reason for the increase in crossings was a rise in the number of people being crammed onto each boat. She suggested that all migrants who arrive on an overcrowded boat where a child has died should face prosecution. Ms Cooper told the BBC's Today programme it was 'totally appalling' that children were being 'crushed to death on these overcrowded boats, and yet the boat still continues to the UK'. Mr Macron is to visit the UK (Suzanne Plunkett/PA) The Government has already included a new offence of 'endangering life at sea' in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently making its way through Parliament. Ms Cooper has previously said this would allow the authorities to act against people 'involved in behaviour that puts others at risk of serious injury or death, such as physical aggression, intimidation, or rejecting rescue attempts'. But on Friday, she appeared to go further by suggesting even getting on an overcrowded boat could result in prosecution. She said: 'If you've got a boat where we've seen all of those people all climb on board that boat, they are putting everybody else's lives at risk.' Some 15 children are reported to have died while attempting the crossing in 2024, and Ms O'Neill told PA police tactics were making the situation more dangerous. During a series of broadcast interviews, Ms Cooper also declined to confirm reports the UK was looking at a 'one in, one out' policy that would see people who had crossed the Channel returned to Europe in exchange for asylum seekers with connections to Britain. Asked about the policy, she would only tell Sky News that ministers were 'looking at a range of different issues' and 'different ways of doing returns'. Sir Keir is expected to hold a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, at which efforts to tackle small boat crossings are likely to be high on the agenda.
Reuters
19 minutes ago
- Reuters
American Mayer announces candidacy for FIA president
SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Reuters) - American Tim Mayer announced on Friday he will stand against Emirati incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in a December vote for president of the FIA, motorsport's world governing body. The 59-year-old, who served as a Formula One steward until last year, is the son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer. "I believe I am the right person, at the right time, in the right place," Mayer told a press conference at a hotel near Silverstone, the British Grand Prix circuit. He added that he had been working on his campaign for six months. "What I see is a failure in leadership right now," he said. "Instead of reform, we've seen performance. Behind the stagecraft, we've been left with the illusion of progress; and the illusion of leadership, while the most senior team he appointed has departed." Mayer said last November he had been dismissed as a steward via text message by an assistant to Ben Sulayem. The FIA disputes that detail. The American said standing was not an act of revenge but about driving the organisation forward -- with his campaign branded FIAforward. There was no immediate response from the FIA. Ben Sulayem, who has made much of returning the governing body to profit, has been a controversial figure since his election in 2021. There have been battles with Liberty Media over commercial matters and accusations of sexism, and there has been a high turnover of senior staff. Critics also say statute changes , approved by FIA members, limit the powers of audit and ethics committees and make it harder for rivals to stand against him. Mayer described his bid as a Herculean task with the deck stacked in Ben Sulayem's favour, given recent statute changes, and only five months to campaign and win votes from member federations. Mayer did not say who would be on his presidential list, a requirement for standing, which he admitted still had some open positions. He said he had good support from Motorsport UK and had informed Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Liberty Media-owned Formula One, of his plans. "The job now is to go out and explain to lots of small clubs around the world ... why we can do a better job," said Mayer. "Explaining how we can bring value and restructure the FIA to do a better job. "I do feel restructuring needs to happen." Ben Sulayem has already announced he is seeking a second term and until Friday had no declared opponent, with Spain's double world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. recently deciding not to stand. Mayer said he would have stood even if Sainz had decided to run. He also dismissed any suggestion of a conflict of interest regarding the historic family connection with McLaren. The FIA is the governing body for F1, the world rally championship and Formula E among other series.
