UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – UK sees small boat migrant arrivals resume after longest pause since 2018, bringing 39,292 people in 2025, the highest annual total since 2022.
As reported by Sky News, official figures revealed that the UK has experienced its longest period in seven years without small boat migrants crossing the Channel.
What did the Home Office report about Channel migrant crossings?
According to the recent Home Office figures, no migrants had completed the dangerous Channel crossing for 28 days, since 14 November.
The data shows that no migrants were recorded arriving in the UK up to and including 12 December, marking the longest uninterrupted period of crossings since autumn 2018.
On Saturday, several small boats were observed crossing the Channel, breaking the prolonged pause, with official arrival figures expected to be released later.
The month of December usually sees fewer Channel crossings due to cold weather, reduced daylight, poor visibility, and stormy conditions, making the journey dangerous.
The highest number of arrivals in December was 3,254 in 2024. This year appears on track to record the second-highest annual total of small boat migrants since 2018, with the record 45,774 arrivals reached in 2022.
The total number of arrivals in 2025 currently stands at 39,292, exceeding every year except 2022. Another 6,483 migrants would be needed to set a new record. The latest pause represents the longest period without arrivals since the 48 days from 2 September to 19 October 2018.
In recent months, the government has increased its efforts to address migrants attempting the dangerous Channel crossing, though the actions are unlikely to show results until next year.
What actions did the UK take with ECHR member states on migration?
On Wednesday, 10 December, UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy met with ministers from ECHR member states, where they agreed to explore treaty reforms and tackle illegal migration within current legal limits.
Following last month’s asylum reforms by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the government plans to work with European countries on Article 3 of the ECHR to protect human rights while facilitating deportations.
At the meeting, an unofficial statement supported by the UK, Hungary, Italy, and 24 additional Council of Europe members urged a new framework that would limit the scope of protections against
“inhuman and degrading treatment.”
According to the letter endorsed by 27 nations, Article 3 of the convention, which bans “inhuman or degrading treatment,” should be
“constrained to the most serious issues in a manner that does not prevent states from taking proportionate decisions on the expulsion of foreign criminals, including in cases involving healthcare and prison conditions.”
Earlier this month, the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law, which allows authorities to deploy counter-terrorism-style powers to combat organised people-smuggling gangs.
What did Steve Valdez-Symonds say about UK actions on Human Rights Day?
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights programme director, stated,
“There is a dreadful irony in our Justice Secretary working with his counterparts to remove or reduce rights on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
He continued,
“It shows how far we have drifted from the moral resolve of the last century, when our grandparents determined that the fact we are all born free and equal must be protected in law.”
How many illegal migrants are there in the UK?
Around 51,000 people arrived via illegal routes into the UK, such as small boats and other clandestine methods, in the year ending September 2025. Small boat arrivals accounted for 46,000 (89%) of this total.
The majority of those arriving by small boats claim asylum. Since 2018, 94% of small boat arrivals have applied for asylum. In the year ending September 2025, half of all asylum seekers (55,000 people) had arrived through these illegal routes.
