UK Channel boat crossings not down 42% fact check
“The London Economic says that the boat crossings of the Channel between the European Union and the UK are down by 42%. Is this correct?”
Summary
Recent official and news data show that small‑boat Channel crossings remain near record levels, with about 41,000 arrivals in 2025 and an overall increase over the past three years. There is no evidence of a 42 % decline, so the claim is false.
Sources 54 searched
- UK to pay France up to $892 million in deal to reduce migrant crossings | Reuters
LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Britain ... of the funding contingent on results. Around 41,000 people crossed the Channel to England in small boats in 2025, near the record set in 2022, official data show....
- Two women die trying to cross Channel in small boat
Over the past three years, crossings have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025. A Home Office spokesperson said previously: "We have stopped over 42,000 illegal migrants attempting to cross the Channel since ...
- UK and France strike new £662m small boats deal
The Liberal Democrats have said the only way to properly deter people from making the crossings is to permanently break the criminal gangs business model and agree a large-scale returns agreement with France. The Refugee Council argued the focus should not be on policing the Channel but on vulnerable people looking for safety.
- UK to pay France another £660m to curb Channel crossings | Migration | The Guardian
The UK government has agreed to pay France another £660m to curb the number of asylum seekers travelling across the Channel, including plans to fund a riot squad to “contain and disperse” people trying to board small boats.
- More than 600 migrants cross English Channel in single day - BBC News
Over the past three years, crossings have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025. Earlier this month, two migrants died while attempting to cross the Channel, and six were rescued.
- French coastguard rescues more than 100 migrants crossing Channel - BBC News
See more key stats on hotels, small boats and asylum · On Thursday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with France that would see riot-trained police sent to beaches along the northern coast to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
- Four people die trying to board small boat in Channel crossing attempt - BBC News
It brings the total number of confirmed deaths linked to migrant crossings in the English Channel to six, after the UN's International Organization for Migration agency recorded two cases earlier this year.
- Monitoring London's economy | London City Hall
We publish regularly on the state of London’s economy.
- Small boat arrivals: last 7 days - GOV.UK
This page shows figures for the last 7 days for migrants attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats without permission to enter the UK.
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