UK migrant crossings hit record 30,000

The number of migrants crossing the English Channel to reach the UK has surged past 30,000 this year — the fastest pace on record.

Despite government efforts to crack down on smuggling gangs, record numbers continue to make the perilous journey. Newly appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the situation “utterly unacceptable” and confirmed that migrant returns to France, agreed under a deal last month, would begin “imminently.”

On Saturday alone, 1,097 people made the crossing in 17 boats, pushing the 2025 total to 30,100, according to Home Office data. That’s a 37% rise compared with the same point in 2024 (22,028) and 2023 (21,918), analysis by the PA news agency shows.

It is the earliest point in any year since records began in 2018 that the 30,000 milestone has been reached. By contrast, the threshold was not hit until October 30 last year and was never surpassed in 2023, when annual crossings stood at 29,437. In 2022, the figure was reached on September 21.

The surge coincides with Ms Mahmood’s appointment as Home Secretary on Friday during a government reshuffle following Angela Rayner’s resignation. She is expected to announce plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into military barracks as part of tougher immigration measures.

Mahmood stressed: “These small boat crossings are utterly unacceptable, and the criminals behind them are wreaking havoc on our borders. Under our new deal with France, people arriving illegally can now be detained and returned, and I expect the first removals to begin shortly. Protecting the UK border is my top priority.”

Earlier this week, before the Cabinet reshuffle, former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper suspended new family reunion applications for refugees and outlined changes to the system.

Although the UK–France returns agreement took effect in August, no migrants have yet been sent back under the scheme.

The rising crossings highlight the scale of the challenge facing the new Home Secretary amid public discontent over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, which has triggered protests and political criticism. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to speed up the closure of asylum hotels before the next election but has not set a clear deadline.