New June record for migrant Channel crossings
Migrant crossings have set a new record for the month of June, pushing the total for the year so far to more than 11,000.
In the first six months of 2023, 11,434 people were detected making the journey from France, according to provisional government figures.
The figures come almost six months after Rishi Sunak vowed to “stop the boats” and made this one of his five flagship pledges as Prime Minister.
In June last year, 3,140 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel.
In 2021 it was 2,177; 727 in 2020, 163 in 2019 and just four people in June 2018.
On January 4, Mr Sunak used his first major speech of the new year to set out five pledges he said would address “the people’s priorities”, including to pass new laws to stop Channel crossings.
He vowed to “rebuild trust in politics through action, or not at all” but refused to set a timescale for achieving his promise to stop migrant boats making the journey.
Last week saw a series of setbacks to the Prime Minister’s bid, when his plan to send migrants to Rwanda was dealt a blow by an appeal court ruling and the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill – aimed at beefing up powers to tackle the problem – suffered a series of defeats during its passage through the House of Lords.
This came just weeks after Mr Sunak insisted his plan to stop Channel crossings was “starting to work”.
On Monday, Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said: “He stands by what he said at the time. We do have much further to go before we stop the boats but it’s right to highlight improvements when they take place.”
He added: “We do know that we would expect to see numbers fluctuate, particularly over the summer months when numbers do tend to be higher.
“We want to do more in terms of the Rwanda migration partnership which is why we’re seeking leave to appeal, but it’s equally why we want to do more on the ground with our French counterparts.”
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Time and again the Prime Minister chases short-term headlines instead of doing the hard work needed to tackle the problem.
“The numbers of dangerous crossings are rising again, hotel costs are spiralling, all while the Government’s flagship Rwanda policy unravels in front of their eyes.”