More than 750 migrants crossed the English Channel on Wednesday, making it the busiest day for small boat crossings so far this year. Some 752 people made the journey from France in nine boats, bringing the total for 2026 to 14,128.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently said the Government's plan to reduce crossings was "working", while acknowledging there was "more to do".
Comparisons with previous years
The total so far this year is 42% lower than the same point last year, when 24,538 people had crossed. It is also 15% below the 16,712 recorded at this stage in 2024.
Four deaths on Thursday
On Thursday, four migrants died attempting to reach Britain. French coastguard officials reported three people were found dead on a boat off the coast of Dunkirk, and a fourth person is believed to have drowned near Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who has spent part of the week on beaches in northern France, called the deaths "preventable" and urged the introduction of "a proper deterrent".
Philp said: "Illegal Channel crossings are extremely dangerous and put lives at risk. Every one of these tragic deaths was preventable. The only way to save lives is to stop the crossings completely. And the only way we can stop the crossings is by having a proper deterrent."
He added: "If people know they can stay in the UK, get put up in a hotel and claim benefits then they will keep risking these dangerous journeys. Instead, if they know they will be quickly removed then they will not cross in the first place. We must end the incentive to illegally enter the UK."
Philp outlined his party's policies to block asylum claims from illegal entrants, stop non-citizens claiming benefits, and restrict indefinite leave to remain and citizenship.
