More than 800 migrants cross English Channel in December record | UK News

More than 800 migrants in 13 boats crossed the English Channel on Saturday, according to Home Office data.

The figure is a record for a December day in recent years, and is believed to be due to a backlog of people wanting to get across to Kent because of recent bad weather.

It takes the total for the year to 41,455 people, surpassing 2024, when there were 36,816 for the entire year.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of small boat crossings are shameful and the British people deserve better.”

The 803 migrants were brought ashore at Dover by Border Force and RNLI vessels.

While the number of people making the dangerous journey across the Channel has risen more swiftly in 2025 than recent years, the yearly total has still not surpassed that of 2022, when 45,755 arrived.

The government statement added: “This Government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.”

Meanwhile, French authorities came to the assistance of several small boats attempting to make the crossing over the weekend. In a statement, the Maritime Prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea said 151 people were rescued and taken back to France.

Charities supporting migrants in Calais say there was an unusually high number of people in the makeshift camps in northern France for this time of year, wanting to get to the UK.

That follows a recent period of 28 days when no small-boat crossings were possible because of windy conditions in the Channel.

Saturday was extremely calm at sea, and the smugglers – adept at studying the weather forecasts – were quick to load large groups of people onto overloaded dinghies.

The English Channel is one of the most dangerous and busiest shipping lanes in the world.

Many migrants come from some of the poorest and most chaotic parts of the world, and many ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by the UK authorities.

The Government meanwhile continues efforts to grasp the so-called “upstream” causes of the migration crisis, including through work with neighbouring countries.

Just this week, Germany passed a new law which could see people smugglers face up to 10 years in prison for trying to bring migrants to the UK.

The law change, which will come into force before the end of the year, aims to give more powers to law enforcement and prosecutors, and boost information sharing between the UK and Germany.

It follows a deal agreed between the two countries in December last year to tackle illegal migration, including taking action to remove smugglers’ advertising on social media.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This major change in German law is the result of our close partnership working to tackle illegal migration and organised immigration crime.

“We will continue to ramp up our international co-operation to strengthen our own border security.”

Additional reporting by PA Media