British Home Secretary Cleverly calls it an “important success”. Last year, almost 30,000 migrants crossed the English Channel towards England – a good third fewer than in 2022.
Last year, significantly fewer people crossed the English Channel illegally between France and Great Britain. As the Home Office in London announced, 29,437 migrants arrived in small boats on the southeast coast of England in 2023. In the previous year the number was around 45,000 people; In 2021, around 28,500 illegal crossings were registered.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly described the results as an “important success”. “While the number of people entering Europe illegally is rising, the number of people coming to the UK illegally is falling.”
London relies on deterrence
Immigration has long been a key political issue in Britain. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has repeatedly promised to “stop” the boats of illegal migrants. The topic is likely to be discussed in the election campaign for the parliamentary elections this year.
The British government is relying on deterrence – for example with a plan to bring asylum seekers to Rwanda and to accommodate migrants on old residential ships. In the summer, the number of unprocessed asylum applications rose to a record high of around 134,000 applications.
Crossing the English Channel in small boats is dangerous. In November 2021, 27 migrants died in a boat accident. It was the worst accident of its kind on the English Channel to date.