Stopping the boats? Over 18,000 migrants have crossed Channel this year
More than 18,000 migrants have succeeded in reaching the UK by crossing the English Channel this year since Rishi Sunak pledged to "stop the boats", the latest figures have revealed.
Some 661 people made the journey in 15 boats on Monday, Home Office statistics show, bringing the provisional total for the year so far to 18,618.
Around eight months ago, on January 5, the prime minister made 'stopping the boats' one of his top five priorities for this parliament, but on Monday he appeared to concede his aim may now be unachievable.
He insisted his plans to cut illegal immigration "are working" but said it is a "complex" issue that cannot be solved “overnight”.
Pressed on whether he's on track to achieve his goal before the next general election, which is expected next year, the PM said: “I want it to be done as soon as possible but I also want to be honest with people that it is a complex problem.
Rishi Sunak suggests he may not 'stop the boats' by next election
"There is not one simple solution and that it can’t be solved overnight and I wouldn’t be being straight with people if I said that was possible.”
But Home Office figures do show the PM could be having some success in cutting illegal immigration, despite struggling to get his flagship Rwanda-deportation plan off the ground.
The number of asylum seekers which have arrived this year is around 13% below the equivalent number at this point last year when there had been more than 21,300 arrivals.
Monday’s crossings come after 1,278 people made the journey last week, with crossings taking place on six out of seven days.
The highest daily total for 2023 so far was recorded on August 10 when 756 migrants made the crossing in 14 boats. The second highest number detected in a single day was 686 people in 13 boats on July 7.
The PM said he wants to tackle illegal immigration because it is "particularly unfair on British taxpayers who are forking out millions of pounds to house illegal migrants in hotels and local communities" - but his plans to cut it have run into numerous problems.
His policy to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda still hasn't begun due to legal challenges and plans to house asylum seekers on offshore barges and disused military bases remain stuck in the mud.
The Bibby Stockholm barge off the coast of Dorset was in use for fewer than five days before migrants were removed when traces of Legionella were found in the water supply.
And there is intense opposition to his plans to house asylum seekers at RAF Scampton, a base in Lincolnshire with historic links to the Second World War dambusters raid.
There are concerns that plans to accommodate migrants there could scupper a multi-million pound investment aiming to purchase and redevelop the site.
Asked about the risk posed, Mr Sunak said: “Of course the Home Office and other authorities are in dialogue with all local partners to work through all the outstanding issues and questions.
“But more fundamentally we have got to stop the boats. That is why it is one of my five priorities. The current system is unsustainable and it is unfair. The best way to reduce pressure on local communities is to stop the number of people coming here in the first place.
“We can’t have a situation where British taxpayers are forking out millions of pounds a day to house illegal migrants in hotels in local communities. We have got to find alternatives to that. That is what some of our large sites and the new barge are about.”
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