December day record for small boat arrivals adds pressure on UK government

'Smash the gangs' policy has been ineffective, as 2025 is second highest year for illegal migrants crossing Channel

Migrants who set out from France are brought ashore at the port of Dover in Kent, southern England. PA Wire

More than 800 migrants crossed to the UK in small boats on Saturday, a record number for a day in December, the latest figures show.

The total for the year has now reached 41,455 − up from 36,816 in 2024 − and already making it the second highest after the record year of 45,755 in 2022.

These latest figures will make uncomfortable reading for the UK government which has made tackling the politically charged issue of small boats a priority.

In January this year it, the Home Office announced a package of measures to “smash the gangs” of people smugglers by dealing with them in the same way as terrorists but so far that does not appear to be bearing fruit. The measures also included deploying National Crime Agency officers in Iraq's Kurdistan region, a centre of the people smuggling industry.

December is traditionally one of the quietest for Channel crossings, with a combination of low temperatures, poor visibility, less daylight and stormy weather making the journey particularly difficult.

The government hoped that a 28-day period without any crossings, the longest for seven years, had signalled that a corner had been turned. But as soon as more favourable weather returned on December 13, the small boats returned.

A flurry of activity over the weekend saw 803 migrants make the dangerous journey in 13 dinghies from northern France, starting overnight on Friday and into Saturday, a record for a single day in December.

Some 2,163 people have now crossed in December, but this is not highest number across the month compared to previous years. The most arrivals recorded in December was 3,254, in 2024.

Chris Philp, the shadow Home Secretary, said this year’s increase was due to the absence of a deterrent after the government scrapped the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed.

The scheme was being developed by his Conservative Party when it formed the last government but ran into difficulty in the courts before it could be implemented. The Labour government scrapped the plan shortly after winning the July 2024 general election.

Mr Philp said the Conservatives would leave the European Convention on Human Rights, ban asylum and other protection claims for migrants arriving by small boats and remove all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival.

Migrants try to board a smuggler's boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel. AFP

“The Conservatives are the only party with a serious plan to stop this madness. Labour won’t do it because they don’t have a backbone,” said Mr Philp.

The government, meanwhile, continues efforts to grasp the so-called “upstream” causes of the migration crisis, including through work with neighbouring countries.

Just this week, Germany passed a new law which could see people smugglers face up to 10 years in prison for trying to bring migrants to the UK.

The law change, which will come into force before the end of the year, aims to give more powers to law enforcement and prosecutors, and boost information sharing between the UK and Germany.

France has meanwhile recently indicated it plans to halt small boats at sea before they pick people up heading for the UK.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also announced the most significant shake-up in Britain’s approach to asylum seekers in modern times in a bid to drive down numbers.

These include a proposal that refugees will have to live in the UK for 20 years before they can settle permanently.

German police and the UK's National Crime Agency seize boats used by people smugglers operating the Channel crossing. PA Wire

The Labour government under UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says it has been inspired by the hardline approach taken by Denmark, whose government is led by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a fellow centre-left politician.

A Home Office official said: “The number of small boat crossings are shameful and the British people deserve better.

“This government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

“The Home Secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.”

Under the “one in, one out” deal with France, which became law in August, for every small boat arrival the UK sends back to France, it will accept an equal number of asylum seekers.

By November 27, 153 people had been returned through this arrangement, and in return about 134 people brought legally from France to the UK, according to government data.