Number of migrants crammed onto Channel dinghies soars under Labour despite boat crossings fall

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The Home Secretary has claimed Labour's crackdown on small boats is beginning to 'bear fruit'

Dinghies transporting illegal migrants to Britain are becoming more crammed, despite the total for the number of small boat crossings hitting its lowest point in seven years.

Some 102 small boats brought migrants over the English Channel between June and August this year, a lower number than any year since 2019, when 57 vessels made the journey.

However, while the number of boats used to make the journey has fallen since previous years, recent reports suggest the smuggling gangs responsible for crossings have started to load more people on to fewer, larger vessels.

GB News can now reveal Mr Burnham's daily average for arrivals stands at 130 in the first 22 days since the ex-Manchester Mayor succeeded Sir Keir on July 20.

Data released earlier this week showed boats that arrived in the UK from August 28, 2025, to August 27, 2026, carried an average of 68 people, a figure that has more than doubled since 2021.

Official figures showed 2,313 people made the crossing over the course of August, excluding official figures for Bank Holiday Monday which have not yet been published.

A total of 7,371 people crossed the Channel over the summer months, according to the data, lower than any year since 2020, when 3,307 made the journey between June and August.

In addition, the initial asylum backlog is now at its lowest level since 2019, driven by faster decision-making and a fall in claims.

The number of people awaiting an initial asylum decision at the end of June 2026 was down 56 per cent compared with a year earlier and stood at its lowest level since March 2019.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This Government is committed to restoring order at our border.

“This work is beginning to bear fruit, with June, July and August recording the lowest number of small boat crossings in seven years. But we know there is more to do.

“We will be relentless in targeting the criminal gangs behind these crossings, and we will continue to remove the incentives that draw people here on unsafe and illegal routes.”

The Home Office also pointed to the impact of the UK-France enforcement deal, which has resulted in more French police action on the northern beaches of the country.

Joint action with the French has prevented more than 48,000 crossing attempts since the election in 2024, the Government department said.

More than 1,100 boats and engines have been seized by the National Crime Agency and international partners in a bid to choke off the supply of vehicles, the Home Office also said.

Ministers want to go further in immigration enforcement and is spearheading the Immigration and Asylum Bill to do this.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street, with tackling small boat crossings on the agenda for their face-to-face discussions.

Last week, GB News revealed how the number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels stood at 16,021 at the end of June 2026, down 50 per cent year-on-year from 32,041.

It is the lowest figure since data was first reported in 2022, Home Office figures show.

There was rise of four per cent in the number of asylum seekers in dispersal accommodation, privately managed houses, flats or rooms in properties of multiple occupancy, up from 66,234 in June 2025 to 69,038 in June 2026.

However, this was more than offset by the sharp drop in asylum seekers in hotels and other types of contingency accommodation, meaning the overall number of claimants receiving any kind of support was down 12 per cent year-on-year, from 106,075 to 93,293.

Home Office spending on asylum in the UK has also decreased.

It stood at £4.36billion in 2025/26, down eight per cent from £4.76billion in 2024/25 and the second annual fall in a row.

The total covers all Home Office costs related to asylum, including direct cash support and accommodation, plus wider staffing and other migration and borders activity, but it does not include costs relating to intercepting small boat migrants.

Ms Mahmood said the figures showed her Labour is “restoring control at our border and fairness to the migration system”.