Crossings Lower Than Previous Years
Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart told Times Radio on Monday morning that “illegal crossings into this country … continue at record levels”. Challenged on this statement, he added: “We’ve had some record months since Labour came to power.” However, government data shows that the number of people crossing the English Channel on small boats so far this year is lower than at the same point in any year since 2023.
Between January 1 and June 20, 2026, a total of 11,136 people crossed the Channel on small boats. This is lower than the 17,817 recorded by June 20, 2025, and the 12,313 in 2024. In 2023, 10,518 had crossed by that date, and in 2022, 11,690 — both higher than the current figure. Prior years saw considerably lower numbers: 5,261 in 2021, 2,241 in 2020, 592 in 2019, and 11 in 2018.
Monthly Records Under Labour and Conservatives
The all-time highest month for crossings was August 2022, set under a Conservative government. Records for January (2022), February (2023), August (2022), September (2022), October (2022), and November (2021) also occurred before Labour came to power. However, records for March (2025), April (2025), May (2025), June (2025), July (2025), and December (2024) were set after Labour’s election in July 2024.
In May 2026, the last full month of data, 2,726 people crossed the Channel — down from 3,738 in May 2025 and the lowest figure for May since 2023. The government data, sourced from Gov.uk and PA analysis, underscores that overall crossings this year are not at record levels, despite some monthly highs under the current administration.
