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UK has seen longest period without migrants arriving on small boats since 2018, figures show
A 28-day pause in Channel crossings, mainly due to harsh winter weather, marks the longest lull since 2018 despite 2025 arrivals nearing 40,000, Home Office data shows.
- Home Office data indicate no migrants arrived since November 14, up to and including December 11 — a 27-day lull, the longest since autumn 2018.
- December's seasonal conditions contributed to fewer crossings as low temperatures, poor visibility and stormy weather reduce attempts, while UK government deterrent measures are not expected to impact until next year.
- Photos from Dover, Kent captured dozens arriving over the weekend, with the total for 2025 at 39,292 and Home Office figures for Saturday due to be published.
- Ministers quietly welcomed the absence of arrivals as political breathing space, while opposition parties seized on migration debate volatility after new crossings on Saturday.
- More broadly, more than 187,000 arrivals since 2018 highlight the challenge, with the UK-France `one in, one out` pilot returning 153 people as of 27 November, while sustained reductions are expected next year.
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This is shown by the figures published on Saturday by the British Ministry of the Interior. However, the trend over the year is different. The number of people arriving in 2025 on small boats is already higher than in 2024.
'Dangerous' French police tactic to stop small boats in the Channel risking lives
New “dangerous” French police tactics to intercept migrant small boats at sea will put more lives at risk, a charity monitoring Channel crossings warned. Home Office data showed Friday was the 28th consecutive day without a successful crossing to UK waters, a record since the small boat crisis started in 2018. Utopia 56, which operates on the Calais and Dunkirk coast, said attempts had been made on Saturday morning, and that three French police …
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources23
Leaning Left5Leaning Right3Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution39% Left, 38% Center
Bias Distribution
- 39% of the sources lean Left, 38% of the sources are Center
39% Left
L 39%
C 38%
R 23%
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