The number of migrants crammed into unseaworthy boats has been rising year on year, the Home Office says.
Some 11,884 migrants arrived in the six months from the start of January to the end of June (Image: Getty)
The record for the largest number of migrants crossing the English Channel on a single small boat has been broken. Of the 225 people who made it across the busy shipping lane on Friday, 128 were crammed into just one vessel, beating the previous record of 125 in a single boat from September last year.
A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC that the figure indicates that smuggling gangs are “taking greater risks than ever”. They said that the number of people crammed into “unseaworthy boats has been rising year on year”. Despite the record number in a single boat being surpassed, the overall number of migrants crossing the Channel appears to have fallen, data shows.
Some 11,884 migrants arrived in the six months from the start of January to the end of June, according to the latest Home Office data.
This is 41% lower than the total that had reached the UK by this point last year, which was 19,982. It is also down 12% on the 13,489 who arrived in the first six months of 2024.
The steep drop is likely to be a result of factors including the weather, the supply of small boat parts, Government policy and the flow of migrants into Europe from elsewhere in the world.
In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with authorities in France to pay £662million to support beach patrols as part of efforts to drive down arrivals.
Ms Mahmood is also seeking to overhaul the asylum system to deter crossings and deport people more easily, including proposed changes to make refugee status temporary.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill was introduced to Parliament 10 days ago. It also sets out new powers for the Home Office to recover costs from adults who have received asylum support, such as accommodation.
Asylum seekers in the UK received £4billion in accommodation and support last year alone.
The Home Office estimates the average cost per person per night to accommodate asylum seekers is £23.25 in dispersal accommodation and £144 in hotels. Subsistence payments range from £9.95 to £49.18 per person per week.
Ms Mahmood said: “The cost of asylum accommodation on the British taxpayer is too high. We have already reduced asylum costs by £1billion, but it is also right that we ask those who can contribute to do so.
“Receiving asylum support is a right, but it is also a responsibility. Once people can contribute and repay the generosity of the British people, we expect them to do so.”