More than 41,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats last year, figures branded “shameful” by the Home Office have revealed. The government said 41,472 people arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in 2025 – the second highest annual number on record, after 45,774 made the journey in 2022.
The number of crossings was 13% higher than in 2024, though the pace slowed in the last two months of the year. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had fought the 2024 election promising to “smash the gangs” and negotiated a “one-in, one-out” returns deal with France.
A Home Office spokesperson said the figure was “shameful and the British people deserve better”, but added: “This government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.”
However, Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, called the government’s plans “a complete disaster” and “a farce”. The Conservatives argued that pulling out of the European Convention on Human Rights was the only way to reduce crossings, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp saying Labour’s approach lacked “backbone”.
The government is counting on the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which became law in December, to tackle people-smuggling gangs. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also announced plans to make refugee status temporary and extend the wait for permanent settlement to 20 years.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said most people making the journey had fled oppression and war, and warned that punishing refugees was “unfair and not an effective deterrent”.
