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The number of people arriving in Britain by small boat has increased by more than a fifth this year compared with last year, though the figures remain below arrivals by sea to Italy, Spain and Greece.
More than 35,800 people arrived in the UK by small boat this year, up from 29,400 last year, according to data from the Home Office. The figure is still below the record 45,750 that arrived in 2022.
But the rise this year — more than half of which took place after the general election on July 4 — is likely to increase pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who has vowed to smash the criminal gangs bringing migrants across the English Channel and ultimately bring an end to small-boat crossings.
More than 150,000 people have now entered the UK on small boats since the migrant route started gaining traction in 2018, in what has become one of the most intractable political problems in recent British history.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak vowed to “stop the boats” altogether — and sought to implement a highly controversial scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda — but ultimately had a negligible impact on crossings before he was voted out of Downing Street in July.
Starmer has refused to be drawn on a target for reductions in people arriving by small boats, arguing that they have not worked well in the past.
However, he came under fire last month when his six “milestones” for government did not include any targets on either legal or illegal migration.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed earlier this month that crossings would have been “thousands higher” if the Tories were still in power because of the enforcement action that the Labour government has taken over the past five months.
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Arrivals of migrants to the UK by small boat increased this year even as similar arrivals decreased dramatically in Italy from record highs seen in 2023.
Arrivals to Spain increased by 44 per cent, while those arriving in Greece increased marginally, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Small-boat crossings have decreased sharply in Italy in large part thanks to the so-called Rome Process adopted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year, which saw Italy forge deals with North African countries including Libya and Tunisia to tackle people-smuggling gangs in countries where they operate.
Starmer is keen to emulate aspects of the scheme as part of his efforts to “smash the gangs”.
Afghanistan is the country of origin of the highest number of migrants arriving by small boats in the UK, accounting for 17 per cent in the first three quarters of the year.
There has also been a surge in people arriving from Vietnam this year, with figures three times higher than previous years, and accounting for 13 per cent of arrivals in the first three quarters of the year.
In April, the government signed an agreement with Vietnam to increase co-operation in dealing with irregular migration.