Overview

• Over 10,150 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far in 2025, reaching the milestone nearly a month earlier than in 2024.
• The number of crossings is 40% higher than at the same point last year, driven by calm weather conditions and persistent smuggling operations.
• The UK government has ramped up border security, including increasing returns, cracking down on illegal working, and targeting smuggling networks.
• New agreements with France include deploying elite coastal units, boosting intelligence-sharing, and granting French authorities expanded intervention powers.
• Critics, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, blame Labour's scrapping of the Rwanda deportation scheme for the surge in crossings.