More than 1,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel this year, setting a new record.
According to Home Office figures, 129 people arrived in the UK on two boats on Tuesday, bringing the provisional total for 2025 to 1,019. That means it took 21 days from the start of the year before the number of crossings surpassed 1,000, the fastest to reach that milestone in an entire calendar year.
In 2022, a record year for crossings, the number of people arriving in the UK after making a journey did not reach 1,000 until January 23, PA’s analysis of government data since the start of the crisis in 2018 shows.
At this time last year, 621 people had arrived in the UK, compared to 280 in 2023 and 963 in 2022.
The crossing continued on Wednesday, with a picture showing people in lifejackets coming ashore from a Border Force boat in Dover, Kent.
