Number of overcrowded small boats quadruples

The number of overcrowded small boats arriving in the UK carrying more than 80 people has quadrupled in three years, casting doubt over Labour's pledge to stop migrants from making the dangerous journey.

- MILLIE COOKE

Fresh analysis from the Home Office showed that 33 boats made the perilous journey while carrying more than 80 people in the year to April 2025 – up from eight in the year to April 2022.

While the overall number of dinghies, typically made to carry up to 20 people safely, arriving declined from 1,116 in 2022 to 738 in 2025, more people have been crammed onto each vessel for the crossing.

The Home Office data showed that the number of days with good weather conditions for migrants to cross the English Channel this year has more than doubled compared to previous years. The government published the statistics just days after a record number of daily arrivals for this year when 1,195 migrants made the journey to the UK in 19 boats on Saturday.

The data comes despite Labour in December claiming that the government had broken the link between favourable weather conditions and an influx of migrant crossings. There were 60 “red” days between January 1 and April 30 this year, when factors such as wind speed, wave height and the likelihood of rain meant crossings were classed by officials as “likely” or “highly likely”.