London (BN24) – A record 28,076 migrants have crossed the English Channel to Britain aboard small boats this year, representing a 46 percent increase over the same period in 2024, according to government data released Monday that intensifies pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer regarding his administration’s immigration policies.
The dramatic surge occurred alongside mounting public anxiety over immigration issues, which polling data identifies as voters’ primary concern, while anti-migrant demonstrations continue outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country.
The milestone was achieved Sunday when 212 migrants arrived in four separate boats, government figures revealed. The Home Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the latest crossing statistics.
Protests erupted across Britain over the weekend following a court decision last week ordering removal of asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, northeast of London, marking another contentious episode in the nation’s ongoing immigration debate.
Starmer’s Labour government has committed to eliminating hotel accommodations for asylum seekers by 2029 and implementing comprehensive asylum system reforms. The administration announced changes Sunday designed to accelerate asylum appeals processing and address a backlog exceeding 100,000 pending cases.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain’s interior minister, described the modifications as efforts to restore “control and order” to what she characterized as a system “in complete chaos.”
Official statistics released last week documented record-high asylum claims, with more migrants housed in hotels compared to the previous year’s figures.
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party currently leading recent voting intention surveys, has proposed “mass deportations” for migrants arriving via small boats. His comprehensive plan includes withdrawing Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights, prohibiting asylum applications and constructing detention facilities capable of holding 24,000 individuals.
Farage informed The Times newspaper he would negotiate repatriation agreements with countries including Afghanistan and Eritrea while organizing daily deportation flights to remove asylum seekers from British territory.
