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The number of people arriving in Britain on small boats has increased by more than a fifth this year compared to last, although the numbers are still lower than those arriving by sea to Italy, Spain and Greece.
More than 35,800 people arrived in the UK on small boats this year, compared to 29,400 last year. According to data from the Ministry of Interior. The number is still lower than the record 45,750 reached in 2022.
But this year's rise – more than half of which occurred after the July 4 general election – is likely to increase pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who has pledged to crush and eventually put an end to criminal gangs transporting migrants across the English Channel. To small boat crossings.
More than 150,000 people have now entered the UK on small boats since the migrant route began gaining momentum in 2018, in what has become one of the most intractable political problems in modern British history.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to “turn the boats off” completely – and pursued a highly controversial scheme Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda – but ultimately had little impact on the crossings before being voted out of Downing Street in July.
Starmer declined to address the goal of reducing the number of people arriving by small boats, arguing that it had not worked well in the past.
However, he was shot last month when he attacked him Six “landmarks” of government It did not include any objectives related to legal or illegal immigration.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed earlier this month that crossings would have been “thousands higher” if the Conservatives had still been in power due to enforcement actions taken by the Labor government over the past five months.
Arrivals to the UK on small boats have risen this year even as arrivals in Italy have fallen significantly from record levels seen in 2023.
The number of arrivals to Spain increased by 44 percent, while the number of arrivals to Greece increased marginally, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Small boat crossings have declined sharply in Italy, thanks largely to the so-called Rome Process adopted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year, which saw Italy strike deals with North African countries including Libya and Tunisia to tackle people-smuggling gangs in countries. Where they work.
Starmer is keen on this Simulate the aspects of the chart As part of his efforts to “crush the gangs.”
Afghanistan is the country of origin for the largest number of migrants arriving by small boat in the UK, accounting for 17 per cent in the first three quarters of the year.
There has also been an increase in the number of people arriving from Vietnam this year, with numbers three times higher than in previous years, and representing 13 per cent of arrivals in the first three quarters of the year.
In April, the government signed an agreement with Vietnam to increase cooperation in dealing with illegal immigration.
