The number of migrants reaching the UK by small boats has hit a new record in the first half of 2025, despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s vow to “smash the gangs” behind people smuggling. According to newly released figures from the Home Office, 19,982 individuals have made the perilous Channel crossing since January — more than any year since official tracking began in 2018.
This sharp rise comes just as Starmer prepares to mark his first year in office, amid mounting criticism over his government’s handling of immigration, as well as internal party divisions. The total so far in 2025 marks a 48 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 13,489 people made the journey, and a staggering 75 percent rise from 2023’s figure of 11,433.
On Monday alone, 879 people arrived via 13 small boats, making it the third-busiest day of crossings so far this year, with an average of around 68 people per vessel. The highest daily total for 2025 remains 1,195 on May 31, while the all-time record, set on September 3, 2022, stands at 1,305.
The figures have intensified pressure on the government to tackle the issue more aggressively. Alongside the increase in arrivals, concerns are growing over the spiralling costs of housing asylum seekers in hotels, and the wider direction of Labour’s immigration strategy. Refugee support groups and left-leaning Labour MPs have voiced unease over the prime minister’s recent rhetoric and policies, accusing him of echoing the language of Reform UK.
In a contentious speech in May, Starmer warned the UK could become an “island of strangers,” a remark he later admitted was a mistake. Still, critics drew parallels between his words and Enoch Powell’s infamous 1968 speech, sparking accusations of pandering to anti-immigrant sentiment.
Labour MP Clive Lewis condemned the prime minister’s approach, saying it “doesn’t just alienate communities, it drives people away from our country altogether.” Fellow MP Nadia Whittome also criticised the government’s tone, describing it as “shameful and dangerous,” and accused Starmer of “mimicking the scaremongering of the far right.”
Meanwhile, videos shared by the government earlier this year showing immigration raids targeting undocumented workers were met with outrage from rights groups. The Refugee Council condemned them as “performative stunts” designed to sow division rather than resolve policy shortcomings.
Pressure Mounts As Channel Crossings Numbers Soar
Labour’s MP for Dover, Mike Tapp, whose constituency sits at the frontline of the small boats crisis, acknowledged the need for more robust solutions. While he praised the use of counter-terrorism resources and steps taken against smuggling gangs, he emphasised the need for deeper reforms.
“The fact is we have to go further in terms of returns agreements, potentially offshore processing, potentially offshore removals,” he said. Tapp also called for adjustments to human rights interpretations that he believes hinder enforcement, particularly Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to private and family life.
“We’ll never win the argument with the public by saying, ‘Oh, well, the law says we can’t do it.’ We are legislators. If there are laws that are not serving what is right, then we must legislate to change them as much as we possibly can.”
Mike Tapp
Despite these appeals, Labour finds itself wedged between rising right-wing pressure and internal dissent. The worsening Channel situation has only deepened the debate over how far the government should go in controlling immigration, and what kind of tone it should strike in doing so.
As Starmer approaches his one-year milestone as prime minister, the issue of migrant crossings looms large as both a political and humanitarian test. Whether his government can navigate the balance between effective enforcement and upholding inclusive values will likely shape the next phase of its leadership.
READ ALSO: UG Management, Health Ministry Confirm COVID Situation Under Control
