Number of migrants arriving in UK after crossing Channel up 25% in 2024
ITV News' Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana reports on the scale of the challenge the government faces to deal with illegal immigration
The number of migrants arriving in the UK by small boat across the English Channel in 2024 was up by a quarter compared to the previous year, figures show.
Some 36,816 people made the journey in 2024, a jump of 25% from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
The total is down 20% on the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
The last crossings of the year took place on December 29, when 291 people made the journey from France in six boats.
The year 2024 was also considered the deadliest for Channel crossings, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard, with 53 people dying while embarking on the journey across the busiest shipping lane in the world to reach the UK.
On December 29, three people died in the English Channel and dozens had to be rescued during an attempt to make a crossing.
The Home Office recorded no further crossings for the remaining two days of 2024, amid blustery weather conditions.
It means 2024 saw the second highest number of arrivals in a year since data on Channel crossings began in 2018.
The jump in crossings came in a year that former prime minister Rishi Sunak had to accept he failed to meet his vow to “stop the boats” when the Conservatives were defeated by Labour in the general election.
Some 13,574 migrants arrived in the UK between the start of 2024 and the general election on July 5, according to analysis of Home Office data.
It was a record number for this period of the year and was 19% higher than the 11,433 who arrived between January 1 and July 5 in 2023.
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Some 23,242 migrants arrived between Labour’s victory on July 5 and December 31, up 29% on the 18,004 arrivals in this period in 2023.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper last month said the Government had a moral responsibility to tackle Channel crossings but refused to set a deadline on when a target to see the numbers fall “sharply” would be met.
Cooper said the UK must pursue the gangs behind the dangerous crossings and appeared to rule out creating more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers as a way of curbing the number of attempts when facing questions from MPs.
Starmer has put international co-operation with law enforcement agencies in Europe at the heart of his bid to cut the number of arrivals.The Prime Minister previously said his Government “inherited a very bad position” with record numbers of migrants in the first half of last year, blaming the situation on what he called "the Rwanda gimmick", referring to the Conservatives' doomed policy.
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