Migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in the first small boat crossing for nearly two weeks. Pictures from Dover in Kent on Friday showed people in lifejackets being led from a Border Security Command vessel.
Weather Break Enables Crossings
A break in the recent poor weather allowed for several crossing attempts on Friday, while temperatures are expected to soar over the bank holiday weekend. The crossing is the first since May 9. So far this month, more than 1,000 people have arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel.
Arrivals Down Compared to Previous Years
However, the number of arrivals is down 44% on this time last year, and 23% on the same point in 2024. Experts have said this could be due to a number of factors, including the weather, the supply of small boat parts, government policy, and the number of migrants coming into Europe.
Net Migration Falls to Pandemic-Era Low
It comes after it was revealed that UK net migration dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year, the lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The figures for the 12 months to December are down 48% compared with the previous year (331,000), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is the first time the estimate – the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country – has fallen below 200,000 since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The figures could lead to renewed calls for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s immigration policies to be watered down. Marley Morris, from think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the Government’s progress “should prompt a more measured debate.”
