‘Shameful’ 41,000 people reached UK by small boat last year, says Home Office | Immigration and asylum
More than 41,000 people crossed the Channel on small boats last year, figures the Home Office described as “disgraceful” revealed.
The government said 41,472 people will cross the Channel into the UK in 2025; This is the second highest figure in history, behind the 45,774 people who made this journey in 2022.
The number of crossings was at record levels for most of the year, but the pace slowed in the last two months of 2025. The year’s total was 13% higher than the 2024 figure.
Keir Starmer fought the 2024 election on a promise to “smash gangs” and last year negotiated a “one-for-one, one-for-one” return deal with France to act as a deterrent.
A Home Office spokesman said the number of small boat trips was “disgraceful and British people deserve better”.
But they added: “This government is taking action. We have removed nearly 50,000 people who came here illegally and our historic agreement with the French means those arriving on small boats are now being sent back.”
“The home secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal immigration in decades by removing the incentives that bring illegal immigrants to the UK and increasing the return of those who have no right to be here.”
But Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said Starmer’s plans were a “complete disaster” and “nonsense”. He also claimed that “many of the young people who came last year will do us great harm”.
Conservatives claimed foreign nationals arriving by small boat were more likely to go to jail, but The Complete Truth was found in July Oxford University’s Migration Observatory said there was no reliable publicly available data on crimes committed by foreigners arriving on small boats.
The only way to reduce the number of small boat crossings is to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on Thursday.
He said: “Labor workers have limited themselves to cosmetic adjustments, so only 5% of arrivals have been removed. There is no deterrent and anyone who crosses the Channel knows they can invoke human rights law and stay indefinitely. Labor lacks the backbone to confront this reality.”
The government is confident that law enforcement will have greater powers to combat human trafficking gangs under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law in December. The law introduces new offenses and allows law enforcement to use counter-terrorism-style powers to crack down on people-trafficking gangs.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also announced plans in November for “the most significant changes to our asylum system in modern times” to deter people from coming to the UK and make it easier for them to be deported.
Under the changes inspired by the Danish system, refugee status will become provisional, with regular reviews every 30 months, and refugees will have to wait an additional 20 years for permanent settlement in the UK, up from the current five years.
Reacting to the Channel crossings in 2025, Refugee Council President Enver Solomon said: “Many of the men, women and children who embark on these journeys have fled oppressive regimes such as the Taliban in Afghanistan and brutal civil wars in countries such as Sudan.
“No one would risk their life on a flimsy boat in the Channel except in desperation to be safe in a country where they have family or community connections.
“It is true that the government wants to stop Channel crossings, but plans to penalize people found to be refugees are unfair and not an effective deterrent.”
