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Official figures indicate that more than 25,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in 2025, marking the earliest point in a year that this threshold has been reached.
The Home Office reported that 898 individuals were brought ashore in Dover on Wednesday, raising the year-to-date total to 25,436.
Since the government began publishing arrival statistics in 2018, the previous earliest date for reaching 25,000 crossings was August 27, 2022.
The government has stated its commitment to sharing intelligence and enhancing cross-border cooperation with France to combat human smuggling networks. On Thursday, the National Crime Agency (NCA) announced a joint operation with Bulgarian authorities, resulting in the seizure of 25 small boats intended for Channel crossings.
In 2020, there were a total of 8,461 crossings, compared to 1,835 in 2019.
In 2018, 297 individuals were recorded making the journey, although data collection only began on November 3.
The annual total for 2025 surpassed 10,000 by the end of April, and reached 20,000 by the end of June.
In June, the government published figures highlighting the increased frequency of favorable weather conditions for crossings in 2024 and 2025.
Amid growing pressure to address the issue, the government maintains that it is actively sharing intelligence and strengthening collaborative efforts with France to dismantle people-smuggling operations.
Campaigners have consistently advocated for the introduction of “more safe and legal routes” as a means of reducing small boat crossings by rendering smugglers “redundant“.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron recently agreed to a pilot program involving the detention and return of some migrants crossing the Channel to France.
In return, other migrants would be permitted entry into the UK from France through a legal and regulated pathway.
The intention is to deter migrants from attempting the crossing.
French police have also adjusted their operational strategies.
In July, they deliberately punctured an overcrowded boat as it was leaving the beach due to safety concerns.
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Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to “dismantle the networks” involved in smuggling individuals across the English Channel.
Migrant numbers at MDP Wethersfield are anticipated to increase to 1,245 over the coming weeks.
The NCA reports that the seizure is believed to be the largest single recovery of small boats in 2025.
Fareham and Waterlooville MP Suella Braverman has expressed concern that the plans are “utterly inappropriate”.
The group’s co-founder has won a bid to bring a legal challenge following the government’s designation of the organisation as a terror entity.
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