Record 5,000 cross Channel to UK in first three
months of 2024
Number of arrivals via small boats was 4,993 as of
Saturday, exceeding previous record for equivalent period of 4,548
Ben Morris
Sun 31 Mar
2024 14.02 EDT
Almost
5,000 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats
so far this year, according to government figures.
The Home
Office data shows 349 people attempted the journey in seven boats on Saturday,
taking the total number of arrivals to 4,993 since the start of 2024 – a record
high for this time of year. The previous record over an equivalent period was
4,548 in 2022.
Since the
start of January, 105 boats have been detected making the crossing, with an
average of more than 47 people on each craft.
Rishi
Sunak’s government has pledged to “stop the boats” and it wants to send those
who arrive on small boats to Rwanda. The approach has been met with fierce
resistance inside and outside parliament, and the House of Lords has repeatedly
stymied proposed legislation. The measures be considered once more when MPs
return from parliament’s Easter recess on 15 April.
A Home
Office spokesperson said: “The unacceptable number of people who continue to
cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off
the ground as soon as possible.
“We
continue to work closely with French police, who are facing increasing violence
and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these
dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys.
“We remain
committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a
third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with
international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.”
The shadow
immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, said: “A year which started with Rishi
Sunak and James Cleverly boasting about the success of their small boats
strategy is now setting one unwanted record after another for the number of
arrivals. Their complacency has been laid bare and their pledge to stop the
boats has been left in tatters.
“We can
also see from these figures that there is a major tragedy waiting to happen in
the Channel. Poor-quality, overcrowded dinghies are putting to sea and getting
into trouble early in their journeys, while the smuggling gangs responsible are
left to count their profits.”
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