Some 573 migrants arrived in the UK on Thursday after crossing the English Channel, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
The cumulative number of arrivals in 2025 now stands at a provisional total of 21,690.
This is 54 per cent higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 14,058, and 65 per cent higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 13,110.
At least 10 boats arrived on Thursday, which suggests an average of around 57 people per boat.
The figures were published just a day after Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed a deal to tackle the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats. The agreement was made during Mr Macron’s three-day trip to the UK, which involved a reception from King Charles.
The one-in, one-out deal will see a small number of migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats sent immediately back to France.
The Home Office has refused to confirm numbers but said it expects the number to grow as the pilot scheme progresses.
In return, Britain will take in the same number of migrants from France, selecting those with family in the UK or strong ties to the country.
Sir Keir hailed the agreement with Paris as a “groundbreaking” step towards deterring people from making the perilous journey across the Channel.
Sir Keir said: “There is no silver bullet here, but with a united effort, new tactics and a new level of intent, we can finally turn the tables.
“So I am pleased to announce our agreement today on a groundbreaking returns pilot. For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order.”
Hours after the pair signed the deal, it was reported that around 220 people, including 70 in one boat, were brought to shore in Dover by Border Force officials.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper declined to say how many migrants would be returned to France under the new agreement when grilled on the deal on Friday morning.
She told Times Radio: “The numbers are not fixed, even for this pilot phase that we are starting now. So this will be a programme that we roll out step-by-step, and we will provide updates as we go. But we are going to do this in a steady way.”
The mayor of the French coastal city of Calais, from where many of the migrants set off in their attempts to reach the UK using small boats, led the latest round of criticisms of the deal. The initial reaction on Thursday from charities and Nigel Farage’s Reform party alike was dismissive. Mr Farage accused Sir Keir of bowing down to Europe while charities accused the Labour leader of succumbing to pressure from Reform.
Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart said the deal would act as an “attraction” to migrants to head for the coastal city.
“Migrants are going to flock here, drawn by the attraction,” she said. “You get the impression that the national politicians do not give a hoot about the local politicians. We’re going to have to manage migrants who the British government will have chosen to return to France.”
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