Small boat migrant crossings pass 20,000 this year as 440 arrive in single day

A total of 20,422 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, with 440 arriving on Tuesday, the latest Home Office figures show.

Some 440 migrants were detected crossing the Channel on Tuesday.

It means 20,422 arrivals have been recorded since January 1.

This is the earliest point in the year at which the 20,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.

Last year, 20,000 arrivals was passed on August 28.

The cumulative number of arrivals so far in 2025, 20,422, is 50% higher than at this stage in 2024, when the figure stood at 13,574, and 79% higher than at this point in 2023 (11,433).

Ministers are going to "have to work harder" to bring down small boat crossings, a member of Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet confirmed this morning amid the confirmation of a record number of small boat crossings in the first half of this year.

Pat McFadden told LBC "everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge", as the tally for 2025 has now passed 20,000, but he declined to give an assurance that the figures would be down by this time next year.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said: "We are going to have to work harder to bring the numbers down."

"Everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge, and as a team we are determined to meet it."

Pressed specifically on whether the numbers would be down by this time next year, Mr McFadden said: "I'm not going to make a prediction."

Asked again for an assurance that the numbers will reduce, he added: "I can give you an assurance that the numbers at the moment are too high. We are working together to tackle this."

Figures released on Tuesday confirmed a record number of crossings for the first half of the year.

The total is 48% higher than the figure for the first six months of 2024, which was 13,489, and 75% above the equivalent figure for 2023, which was 11,433.

Some 879 migrants made the journey in 13 boats on Monday, the third highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year.

Data collection on the Channel crossings began in 2018.

The figures also come as the UK's borders watchdog David Bolt said in June he did not feel "very optimistic about the ability to smash the gangs", adding that with organised crime "the best thing you can do is deflect it to something else you're less concerned about rather than expect to eradicate it".