More than 200,000 migrants have crossed Channel in small boats since 2018

More than 200,000 migrants have crossed Channel in small boats since 2018Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRob EnglandandJess Carr,BBC VerifyBBC/Getty ImagesMore than 200,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats since records began in 2018, new figures show.The Home Office recorded 70 people arriving in the UK on Friday, taking the total to 200,013 in the last nine years. Calm weather conditions meant 70 people on one boat were able to make the crossing.Successive governments have promised to reduce migrant arrivals through this route and halt the smuggling operations that facilitate the dangerous crossings, but the number of small boat arrivals has more than doubled in the last three years to reach this new milestone.At least eight migrants have died while trying to cross the Channel by boat this year, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration and French authorities. Last year 23 people were confirmed to have died.The number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel was declared a "major incident" by the government in 2018 following a rise in people using this route. A combination of enhanced security at ports, a clamp down on other illegal routes, and the development of organised gangs have reportedly helped contribute to the rise in small boat crossings. The government has also suggested that "red days" - when conditions are considered favourable for crossing the Channel - and the prevalence of overcrowded boats has increased in recent years.About 128,000 crossings were made under previous Conservative governments between 2018 and 2024. Former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak pledged to "stop the boats" in 2022, while Labour promised to "smash" the people-smuggling gangs making money from illegal Channel crossings when Sir Keir Starmer took power in 2024.Since then more than 72,000 people have entered the UK this way. The majority of people making the crossing travel f...