Record number of migrants cross English Channel as UK arrivals top 10,000 in 2025
Officials say rise partly due to recent spells of warm weather, calm seas, creating favorable crossing conditions
RNLI lifeboat escorted 80 migrants back to Dover this evening after they were picked up in the English Channel. Border Force officials and the military brought the migrants ashore back at Dover Docks. England on JUN 17 2022.
LONDON
More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK by small boat in 2025 -- the highest ever recorded this early in a year, according to figures Tuesday from the Home Office and Border Force.
A total of 473 migrants made the journey across the English Channel in eight small boats Monday, bringing arrivals since January to 10,358.
The milestone has been reached significantly earlier than in previous years. In 2024, the 10,000 mark was not hit until May 24, while in 2023 it came on June 17.
Officials said the sharp rise is partly due to recent spells of warm weather and calm seas, which have created more favorable crossing conditions.
The government also announced new proposals to tighten asylum laws, including a measure that would bar migrants convicted of sexual offenses from claiming asylum in the UK.
The Conservative Party, meanwhile, has criticized that explanation as “a pretty lame excuse.”
The party blamed Labour for contributing to the increase in crossings, arguing that the decision to scrap the controversial Rwanda deportation scheme last year has weakened deterrence.
