Politics

More than 50,000 people have crossed Channel in small boats since Starmer became PM

6 hours ago
More than 50,000 people have crossed Channel in small boats since Starmer became PM

More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats since Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister, according to new figures.

Home Office statistics reveal that 474 people arrived on Monday in eight vessels – the highest number to make the journey in one day in August.

Politics Live: Keir Starmer hits unwanted small boat crossings milestone

It brings the total to 50,271 since the general election on 4 July 2024.

And it means Sir Keir – who won power promising to “smash the gangs” facilitating the crossings – has reached the 50,000 figure faster than his predecessors, in 402 days.

Rishi Sunak was in office for 603 days when he hit the unwanted tally.

It took some 1,066 days under Boris Johnson, though it’s worth remembering his tenure covered the COVID pandemic and lockdowns.

The Tories’ central plan was to deport migrants to Rwanda to claim asylum there, but this failed to get off the ground before they lost the election, despite millions being spent.

One of Sir Keir’s first acts as prime minister was to scrap the scheme and divert the money to a new Border Force Command that would focus on dismantling people smuggling gangs.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the rising Channel crossings show this promise was “just a slogan”, with numbers now “so much worse since Labour came into office”.

By Isla Glaister, data editor

Sir Keir Starmer promised that he would “smash the people smuggling gangs” and reduce the number of migrants arriving in the UK on small boats.

But in his first 402 days in power more than 50,000 people have made that journey from France, an average of 125 every day. That compares with just over 36,000 people, a daily average of 90, who arrived during Rishi Sunak’s first 402 days.

If that rate is sustained, by Thursday more migrants will have arrived during Starmer’s 13 months in government than did during all 19 months of Sunak’s tenure.

The Home Office has pointed out that Labour took office in summer, when good weather tends to boost the number of channel crossings. Winter this year was also unusually sunny and lacking in wind, which they said contributed to the record level of arrivals in 2025 so far.

But previous analysis by the Sky News Data x Forensics team found that, whilst that’s all true, the high number of small boat arrivals under Labour cannot just be blamed on the weather. More migrants were also crossing on days when weather conditions were more challenging.

This week the first migrants were detained under a new “one-in one-out” deal agreed with France. Under the pilot scheme, the UK can exchange a migrant who arrived illegally for one who has not tried to cross and can pass security and eligibility checks. Numbers are limited and are thought to be up to 50 a week.

The government hopes this will act as a deterrent.
But our analysis found that 50 people a week is less than 5% of the average number of weekly arrivals, and less than 0.3% of total net migration to the UK.

Nearly 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year, a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024 and a new record for the first half of a year.

The Home Office has previously pointed out unusually sunny weather and a lack of wind has contributed to the record level of arrivals. But a Sky News analysis found more migrants were also crossing on days when weather conditions were more challenging.

Today’s figures come alongside more bad news for the government, as a new YouGov survey shows its net approval rating has fallen to -55, Labour’s lowest score to date.

The Home Office is yet to comment.

Last week, people were detained for the first time under a new “one in, one out deal” that will allow some people to be returned to France.

Labour ‘too cowardly’ to confront migration

Ministers hope the agreement with Paris will act as a deterrent, but critics are sceptical as it is thought only around 50 people a week will be deported initially.

The average number of migrants to cross the Channel per day under Sir Keir is 125, however numbers have been much higher than that on certain days.

The highest daily total of arrivals since data began in 2018 was 1,305, which was recorded on 3 September, 2022, when Mr Johnson was prime minister. The highest daily total under Labour so far is 1,195, on 31 May.

Ms Badenoch, who was in government while the Tories failed to get their Rwanda scheme going, said she believed her party could reduce numbers to zero.

“My team are now looking at what we can do in terms of detention centres, but stopping people from coming here in the first place – if they think they’re going to be sent to Rwanda and not get here, get a free hotel, get benefits, then they won’t come here,” she said.

Reacting to the 50,000 figure, shadow home secretary Chris Philp claimed Labour has “scrapped Conservative deterrents and created the conditions for chaos, leaving the British people to foot the bill.

“This is an invasion Labour are too cowardly to confront,” he added.

Earlier, government minister Baroness Jacqui Smith acknowledged the rising numbers of Channel crossings is an “enormously serious” problem.

She said it would take time before Labour’s measures to dismantle people smuggling gangs would have an impact, saying the “one in one out” deal is happening alongside funding towards the National Crime Agency to arrest people smugglers, and returning more people whose asylum claims have failed.

She told Sky News: “The last government enabled this hideous, criminal activity to really get its roots into Europe.. but also there’s really important action that’s being taken to tackle it.

“Not gimmicks. Not short term action. Not one single thing, but the sort of consistent, resourced action that the government is taking.”