Stopping small boats carrying migrants from France was one of Rishi Sunak's key promises. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
The number of migrants crossing the English Channel has fallen by 36 per cent in a year, backing Rishi Sunak's pledge to stop boat traffic.
Home Office figures are expected to will be published on Monday, will confirm that the number of migrants 29,437 people arrived in the UK in 2023, up from 45,774 the previous year.
This is still the second-highest annual figure on record, exceeding the 28,526 people reported in 2021 and more than triple the 8,466 people who crossed the border in 2020, but the decline contrasts with a rise in migrant numbers crossing the Mediterranean and entering the EU illegally.
Ministers will use the figure as evidence that a £480 million deal with France to bring more officers, investigators and technology to tackle gangs engaged in human smuggling is beginning to bear fruit.
Michael Tomlinson, Minister for Illegal Migration, said: “Illegal migration is an international problem that we are tackling on all fronts, including cracking down on criminal gangs through increased law enforcement and working with the French to prevent new border crossings.”
<р>“In 2023, more than 25,000 of these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary border crossing attempts were stopped, and the number of small ships arriving in the UK fell by 45 per cent. Stopping boats will continue to be our priority in the new year as we target people smugglers and disrupt their business model.”
The biggest effect was the 90 percent reduction in Albanian arrivals. small boats after Britain struck a fast-track return agreement with Albania and stepped up raids on illegal workers. In 2022, 12,658 Albanians crossed the English Channel, but from January to the end of November 2023 the number fell to 992.
In contrast, the number of migrants from some other major migrant countries has increased. Just seven countries—Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Eritrea, Iraq, Syria and Sudan—accounted for 72 percent of border crossings.
An analysis of asylum decisions in 2023 by the Refugee Council found that three out of every four people (76 percent) who crossed the border would have been recognized as refugees if the government had already processed their asylum claims.
The council estimated that 15,000 migrants were in limbo under the government's illegal migration law. they are subject to deportation to Rwanda to obtain asylum there.
The Prime Minister is trying to push through the first deportation flights in April this year if he manages to get the Rwanda Bill through the Commons after the Supreme Court ruled the policy was illegal.
He faces threats of rebellion from both wings of his party. over controversial legislation that seeks to further restrict migrants' rights to legally challenge their deportation and to address Supreme Court concerns. The Rwandan plan is seen as a critical deterrent to “stop the boats.”
Tim Loughton, a former minister and member of the House Home Affairs Committee, cautiously welcomed the reduction in crossings but warned: “The problem has not gone away. They're still trying. If you had a very calm and sunny January, you could see a huge surge in numbers.”
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “Instead of slamming the door in their face and suppress the right to asylum, we must uphold the great British values of justice and compassion, ensure their cases are heard fairly within the UK and welcome those who need our protection.”
Meanwhile, James Cleverley, Home Secretary said the “unreasonable practice” of international students bringing their families to the UK will end when restrictions on visa routes come into force on Monday.
He said the ban affected everyone except those enrolling in In the UK, government-funded postgraduate and scholarship courses would reduce net migration by as much as 140,000.
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