Overview
- Home Office figures published Saturday confirmed the running total at 200,013 after Border Force collected 70 people from one boat on Friday and took them to Dover.
- Crossings so far in 2026 stand at 7,380, which officials say is 36% below the same point in 2025 and 16% lower than in 2024.
- Press Association analysis of government data reports that 36% of all small‑boat arrivals since 2018 occurred after Labour took office in July 2024, with the rest recorded under four Conservative prime ministers.
- In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood agreed a three‑year £662 million package with France to fund more beach patrols and other enforcement aimed at stopping launches.
- Danger persists on the route with two women reported dead last Sunday and six deaths in April, while beach tactics by French police such as slashing dinghies have drawn rights‑group criticism and Belgian police warn of more launches from West Flanders with calls for a naval barrier.