More than 35,000 migrants arrive in UK in small boats this year

More than 35,000 migrants have arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in small boats so far this year, the latest figures show.

On Saturday, 160 people made the journey from France in three boats, bringing the total for this year to 35,040 - 20% higher than last year.

The number of small boat crossings for the whole of 2023 was 29,437, which was surpassed on 25 October this year when the total for 2024 reached 29,578.

Figures for the week leading up to Saturday show there were no small boat arrivals between Saturday 7 and Wednesday 11 December.

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However, 609 people made the crossing in nine small boats on Thursday - making it the busiest December day for crossings on record.

A further 298 people made the journey in five small boats on Friday.

The Home Office announced today that 13,460 migrants had been removed from the UK since Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party won a landslide election victory in July.

The Labour government has said this means more migrants have been removed from the country since it was elected than in any other six-month period over the past five years.

In an interview on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said Thursday's high figure was partially due to "pent-up demand" for the "industrialised people smuggling gangs" after five days of no boats.

Asked what the government is doing to tackle people smuggling gangs, Dame Angela said: "I'm not going to sit here and say that, when you're presented with something that's this well established and this sophisticated, that I can get out a magic wand and wave it and it'll all be okay in five months.

"This is a tough job. It will take time to do it, it will take good operational cooperation, good cross-border policing."

She refused to give a date for when the government wants to get numbers down, or how many they want to reduce them by.

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The minister said the government has done "a lot of international work", including starting to advertise in countries where lots of migrants are arriving from to show them how victims of people smuggling are treated.

She added: "If you're here illegally, we want you to leave.

"If you're here illegally and you don't have the right to be here, please leave voluntarily. We may even assist you to leave voluntarily.

"If you're here and you won't leave, we will enforce your leaving in the end."

(c) Sky News 2024: More than 35,000 migrants arrive in UK in small boats this year