Small boat crossings are down – so what’s behind the drop?

Migrants disembark from the French rescue ship Argonaute following their rescue at sea after their boat caught fire during an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Britain (Picture: AFP via Getty) It’s summer, parliament is in recess and small boats are back at the top of the news agenda. Same old debates

As the number of migrants crossing the Channel is down by 43%, have ministers cracked the problem? The headline figures show that small boats crossing the Channel are down by 43% compared with January to mid-July 2025 – from 21,690 last year to 12,469 over the same period this year. Since Andy Burnham came to power on

France has condemned a proposal by hard-right Reform UK party to launch, if it wins power, "the largest military operation" in the Channel "since World War II" to stop migrants crossing on small boats.

Experts say Nigel Farage’s plan would only increase death and violence at the border – after the party promised the ‘largest military operation in the Channel since WWII’

'Violation of our sovereignty': France hits back at Reform's plan to use Royal Navy to stop small boat crossings  lbc.co.uk

Britain and France signed a new three-year deal in April to stop irregular migrants making the risky Channel journeys, with London paying Paris up to €766 million in return for boosted law enforcement of the issue.

Rightwing party’s policy announcement comes as Reform drops behind Labour in polls