Migrants crossing Channel to UK in 2024 soar to almost 37,000: data

The number of irregular migrants crossing the Channel to Britain in small boats in 2024 soared by a quarter compared with the previous year, government data showed Wednesday.

Some 36,816 people made the dangerous journey last year, a 25 percent jump from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, provisional figures from the interior ministry showed.

The total, however, was still well below the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.

Last year's steep rise highlights the challenge facing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was swept to power in July and has pledged to crack down on the arrivals.

Upon entering office, Starmer scrapped the previous Conservative government's controversial scheme to send the irregular migrants to Rwanda.

He branded it a "gimmick" and called it "dead and buried" during his first press conference as prime minister.

Starmer has pledged to "smash the gangs" of people traffickers running the crossings and has signed a number of agreements with foreign countries to co-operate on law enforcement.