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More than 41,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats last year, figures branded “shameful” by the Home Office have revealed.
The government said 41,472 people arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in 2025 – the second highest number on record after 45,774 made the journey in 2022.
The number of crossings was running at the highest level on record for much of the year, but the pace slowed in the last two months of 2025. The total for the year ended up being 13% higher than the figure for 2024.
Keir Starmer had fought the election in 2024 promising to “smash the gangs” and last year negotiated a “one-in, one-out” returns deal with France to act as a disincentive.
A Home Office spokesperson said the number of small boat crossings was “shameful and the British people deserve better”.
But they added: “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.”
However, Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said Starmer’s plans had been “a complete disaster” and a “farce”. He also claimed that “many of the young men that have arrived last year will do us great harm”.
The Conservatives have claimed that foreign nationals arriving by small boat are more likely to go to prison, but Full Fact found in July that the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory has said there is no reliable publicly available data about crimes committed by foreign arrivals by small boat.
Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, said on Thursday that pulling out of the European convention on human rights (ECHR) was the only way to reduce the number of small boat crossings.
He said: “Labour have confined themselves to cosmetic tweaks, hence only 5% of arrivals have been removed. There is no deterrent and anyone who crosses the Channel knows they can invoke human rights law and remain indefinitely. Labour lack the backbone to confront that truth.”
The government is counting on greater powers for law enforcement to tackle people-smuggling gangs under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act , which became law in December. The act introduces new criminal offences and allows law enforcement agencies to use counterterror-style powers to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, also announced plans in November for “the most significant changes to our asylum system in modern times”, in an effort to deter people from coming to the UK and make it easier to deport them.
Under changes inspired by the Danish system, refugee status will become temporary with regular reviews every 30 months, and refugees will be forced to wait 20 years for permanent settlement in the UK, up from five years currently.
Reacting to the Channel crossings for 2025, Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “Most men, women and children taking these journeys have fled oppressive regimes like the Taliban in Afghanistan and brutal civil wars in countries like Sudan.
“No one risks their life on a flimsy boat in the Channel except out of desperation to be safe in a country where they have family or community connections.
“It’s right the government wants to stop Channel crossings, but plans that will punish people found to be refugees are unfair and not an effective deterrent.”
