English Channel migrant crossings pass 5,000 in 2023

Numbers rising after bad weather stopped crossings for five days, raising questions over government ‘deterrent’ strategy

Channel boat crossings have been suppressed in recent weeks because of bad weather (PA)

More than 5,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, official figures show amid pressure on the prime minister’s pledge to “stop the boats”.

The same milestone was reached four days earlier in 2022, which saw a record of over 45,000 people make the dangerous journey by the end of the year.

Arrivals have been suppressed by a period of high winds and rough seas in the Channel, but crossings are expected to rise significantly as the weather calms.

Three dinghies containing 113 people arrived on Monday, Home Office statistics show, after one boat made the crossing the previous day.

The figures suggest that the Rwanda deal, threats of deportation under the new Illegal Migration Bill and other government policies are failing to deter asylum seekers or achieve Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said the figures “show the full scale of the Tory failure to get any grip on Channel crossings”.

“They’ve failed to tackle the criminal gangs or sort out the chaos in the asylum system,” she added. “All they offer is rhetoric and gimmicks instead of any kind of serious plan. No surprise that Rishi Sunak is rowing back on his promise to stop the boats this year.”

Asked about his pledge during an interview last week, the prime minister admitted his plans to stop boats crossing the Channel “won’t happen overnight” and declined to promise they could be completed by the next general election.

On Tuesday, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “While we are confident that some of the elements already introduced – stepping up the partnership with the French government to increase intercepts in the Channel – is having an impact, we know that this will be an incremental approach.”

He said it was “too early to draw conclusions at this stage” about the impact of the government’s announcements “given we know the impact the weather can have on weekly, even daily, crossings”, adding: “It will be the culmination of the introduction of all the different policies we are introducing which will have the long-lasting impact the public wants.”

The 5,000 threshold was passed for 2022 on 13 April, and subsequent days saw significant numbers bringing the total to around 6,200 by 18 April last year.

The government has batted away mounting calls, including from some Conservative MPs, to increase the number of safe and legal routes available for as an alternative to irregular crossings.

Under British law, people must be physically present in the UK in order to claim asylum and there is no visa allowing travel to the country for that purpose.

The most recent official figures show that nine in 10 Channel migrants are asylum seekers and Afghans are the largest nationality, following the collapse of refugees arriving on bespoke routes from the country.

Afghan asylum seekers who resorted to making their own way to the UK after the 2021 evacuation ended are now being threatened with deportation to Rwanda if they arrived on small boats, including a former air force pilot who fought the Taliban alongside British forces.

No flights to Rwanda have taken off since former home secretary Priti Patel signed the agreement on 14 April 2022, and the government has not committed to a timetable as a legal battle over the scheme continues.

During a visit to Rwanda last month, Suella Braverman widened the deal beyond the asylum seekers initially targeted to include all small boat migrants, including modern slavery victims.

The High Court ruled the original agreement lawful in December, but quashed all deportation decisions for individual asylum seekers that it considered.

Court of Appeal judges will reconsider its findings, and whether Rwanda is a safe destination for asylum seekers sent by the UK, next week.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

“Our priority is to stop this illegal trade, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.

“The government has gone further by introducing legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”