Despite UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pledge to smash people smuggling gangs, small boat crossings to the UK remained at historically high levels last year with growing criticism from opposition figures that government measures have failed to deter illegal migration.
A total of 41,472 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in 2025, up from 36,816 the previous year and 41% higher than the 29,437 recorded in 2023. Since Labour came to power in the summer of 2024, around 65,000 migrants have reached Britain via sea.
