Overview
- Home Office figures put 2025 arrivals at 41,472, 9% below the 2022 peak but 13% higher than 2024 and 41% above 2023.
- The average load rose to about 62 people per boat, with a 28‑day pause in crossings from 15 November to 12 December and fatalities reported as at least 17 by UK/French authorities versus 36 by the IOM.
- The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act took effect in December, creating new offences and granting counter‑terror‑style powers to target smuggling gangs.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed Danish‑style changes making refugee status temporary with 30‑month reviews and a 20‑year route to permanent settlement, though legislation is still pending.
- A one‑in, one‑out returns pilot with France recorded 193 people sent back and 195 brought to the UK by 16 December, as critics including Nigel Farage and Tory figures press for leaving the ECHR and charities question deterrence and humanitarian impact.