Migrant crossings: Highest number of people make dangerous Channel journey in a single day so far this year

Friday saw the highest number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel in a single day so far this year.

Some 686 migrants made the dangerous journey, according to Home Office figures. On the previous six days, no migrants or small boats had been detected.

The last daily high for 2023 was recorded on 11 June, when 549 people made the trip.

The latest crossings take the provisional total for this year so far to 12,119.

The number is slightly lower than the equivalent point in 2022, when the total was more than 13,000.

Last year, the total number of crossings was 45,755.

That led Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to make tackling small boats one of his key pledges for his government this year.

On Friday, 13 migrant boats were detected crossing the world’s busiest shipping lane, suggesting an average of about 53 people on each vessel.

Last Monday a number of Conservative MPs on the right of the party urged Mr Sunak to reduce immigration, arguing that the current system was “too lenient”.

In a report, MPs in the New Conservatives group put forward a 12-point plan to the prime minister, including ending the temporary visa scheme for care workers and capping the number of refugees who are allowed to settle in the UK.

The Office for National Statistics confirmed in May that net migration rose to 606,000 in the past year – the highest figure on record – despite numerous pledges from the Conservatives in the past 13 years to bring the numbers down.

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In January this year, Mr Sunak used his first major speech to set out five pledges he said would address “the people’s priorities”, including to pass new laws to stop Channel crossings.

But last week, the prime minister’s plans hit a stumbling block after the Court of Appeal ruled that the Rwanda deportation scheme was unlawful – overturning an earlier ruling from the High Court that previously said the east African nation could be considered a “safe third country” for migrants to be sent to.

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Mr Sunak said he “fundamentally disagrees” with the Court of Appeal’s ruling and that it would be appealed at the Supreme Court.

In response to the New Conservatives’ intervention, Downing Street defended its migration policy.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said the group’s suggestion of removing care workers from the shortage occupation list – which would cut the number of people coming from abroad to work in the sector – was “not an approach we’re currently considering”.