The number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year has exceeded the total number who arrived in the whole of 2023, according to figures published by the Home Office.
As of Friday, 29,578 people had made the crossing, compared with 29,437 last year. It is unlikely that the 2022 total of 45,755 people who arrived in small boats will be exceeded by the end of December 2024.
Since Labour came into office in July, 16,336 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, despite the government’s policy to stop the crossings. Although there have been arrests and prosecutions of smugglers since then, along with seizures of dinghies and lifejackets, there is no indication that the “smash the gangs” policy has yet had an impact on the numbers crossing.
One Syrian refugee in the UK who crossed the Channel by small boat said other family members have crossed the Channel in recent weeks. “This government will not be able to stop the boats when people like me and my family have no alternative way to reach safety,” he said.
Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister and one of the two candidates for the Conservative party leadership, said: “Labour’s plans to ‘smash the gangs’ are in disarray after first contact with reality.
“They’ve scrapped, not strengthened, the Rwanda scheme and are now powerless to stop the boats. Britain is now at the mercy of the smuggling gangs, and the British public will pay the price with more asylum hotels and dangerous individuals on our streets.”
On Wednesday three people died trying to cross the Channel, taking the number dead in the Channel this year to 56, compared with 12 people last year. The latest deaths come days after a baby died on board a dinghy.
Utopia 56, an organisation that supports migrants in northern France, posted a message on social media on Thursday saying it had received a high number of distress calls from people on at least 10 different boats crossing the Channel. The organisation passes GPS coordinates of any dinghy in distress to UK and French coastguards.
The UK coastguard confirmed to the Guardian that on Thursday it was involved in an operation in the Channel relating to small boats involving Border Force vessels and a fixed-wing aircraft.
Enver Solomon, the CEO of the Refugee Council, said:“We must not forget that those making the perilous journeys across the Channel are desperate men, women and children fleeing persecution and war, in countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan, simply seeking safety and a future free from fear.
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“Given this year has already become the deadliest for Channel crossings, it is imperative that the government must do everything possible so refugees no longer have to put their lives in danger by adopting a comprehensive strategy that includes not only disrupting smuggling networks but also ensuring safe and legal pathways for those seeking asylum and working closely with European partners.”
The Home Office said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.
“The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.”