More than 1,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats on Wednesday, figures from the Home Office show.
There were 1,075 migrants who crossed the Channel on 15 small boats and it is the fourth time this year that more than 1,000 migrants have arrived in the country in a singe day.
There were 1,195 migrants who arrived on small boats in the UK on May 31. A further 1,101 arrived on September 6 and 1,072 people arrived on September 19 - shortly after the Government’s “one in, one out” deal with France was introduced.
The latest crossings bring the total number of migrants who have arrived in small boats since the start of the year to 35,476, up a third compared to the same date in 2024.
This puts 2025 on course to break the record for most arrivals in a single year.
It comes as 19 migrants were sent to France as part of the Government’s “one in, one out” migration deal brokered with the country.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said flights across the Channel were "under way and ramping up", sending migrants trying to cross into the UK by small boat a message that "if you come here illegally, you face being detained and removed, so think twice before making that journey".
The 19 returns, including a flight earlier on Thursday, followed seven deportations last month.
The deal means people who arrive in the UK by small boat can be detained and returned across the Channel in exchange for an equivalent number of people who applied through a safe and legal route.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is to host European allies for talks on immigration crime and security in the Western Balkans as the Government searches for ways to curb the rise in small boat crossings, it was announced on Wednesday.
The Foreign Secretary will meet partners from countries including Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as European allies such as France, Germany and Italy on Thursday.
