Overview

• Home Office figures show 20,422 migrants crossed the Channel by small boat in the first half of 2025, a 50% rise on the same period last year.
• The UK and France are finalising a pact under which each migrant admitted to Britain with family connections would see another returned to France.
• French authorities plan to grant police power to intercept ‘taxi boats’ up to 300 metres offshore through revised shallow-water rules.
• In recent weeks French officers have begun puncturing dinghies in coastal waters as part of tougher interdiction tactics ahead of formal rule changes.
• Migrants continue to attempt the perilous crossing driven by family reunification and economic opportunity, with reports of near-drownings underscoring the risks.