A record number of more than 800 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in a single day, setting a new milestone for 2024.
On Tuesday, 882 individuals made the journey, surpassing the previous high for this year, which was 711. This figure, confirmed by the Home Office, marks the largest daily tally since November 29, 2022, when 947 people arrived.
The Home Office also noted that 15 boats were used for the crossings, averaging about 59 people per boat. This number of boats making the journey in a single day is rare, occurring only once before in the past year, on September 2, 2023.
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So far in 2024, the total number of arrivals by small boats is provisionally 12,313, which is 18% higher than the 10,472 recorded by this time last year and 5% higher than the 11,690 recorded at this stage in 2022. In 2023, a total of 29,437 arrivals were documented, which was a 36% decrease from the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
Despite the government’s promise to “stop small boats,” they have clarified that this does not mean the crossings will be completely halted. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has yet to specify a target number for reducing these crossings.
Since Mr. Sunak took office in October 2022, nearly 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel, with the current total standing at 49,376. Since the general election was called on May 22, over 2,000 migrants have arrived, with 2,431 making the crossing as immigration continues to be a major campaign issue.
Since the beginning of 2018, 126,658 people have crossed the Channel to the UK. Since the government’s deal to send migrants to Rwanda in April 2022, 81,677 individuals have made the journey.
Early on Tuesday, around 85 migrants were rescued from small boats in the Channel. A Home Office spokesperson said, “We continue to work closely with our French partners to prevent crossings and save lives.” The Maritime and Coastguard Agency reported coordinating the response to small boat crossings on Tuesday morning. The RNLI added, “On Tuesday 18 June, Dover and Dungeness all-weather lifeboats launched to assist with incidents in the Channel.”
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