According to government statistics revealed on Monday, about 30,000 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats from mainland Europe to Britain in 2023—a decrease of more than a third annually.
That being said, 29,437 unauthorized arrivals on the southeast coast of England remain the second-highest annual total since statistics were started to be released by the authorities in 2018.
The perilous journeys across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes have become a political headache for Britain’s Conservative government, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowing last year to “stop the boats”.
Reducing consistently high levels of migrant arrivals was one of his five major promises for 2023, and it may come back to haunt the Tory leader as he looks to win this year’s general election.
Last month, Sunak stated that he did not have a “firm date” for fulfilling his promise.
In response to figures released on Monday, his Downing Street office stated that fewer small-boat arrivals occurred in 2018—36 percent fewer than in 2022, when a record 45,000 migrants traveled there.
It credited “robust action” targeting “small boat gangs” partly through a £480 million ($610 million) collaboration agreement with France — alongside fast-track migrant return deals struck with countries such as Albania.
This resulted in 246 smuggling-related arrests and almost 24,000 deportations in 2023, according to Downing Street.
As a result of clearing a “legacy” backlog of 112,000 asylum applications submitted before June 28, 2022, the administration claimed, fewer hotel rooms would be needed to accommodate aspiring refugees.
However, some have charged that the government expedites application decisions, knowing full well that many cases will end up in appeals.
“I am determined to end the burden of illegal migration on the British people,” Sunak said.
“That is why we have taken action to stop the boats, return hotels to their local communities and deter those wanting to come here illegally from doing so,” he claimed.
