The UK Home Office reported that over 41,000 people crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2025, the second-highest number on record. The government described the figures as “shameful” and vowed to implement stricter measures to dismantle people-smuggling gangs and deter irregular arrivals. Refugee charities criticized the government’s focus on deterrence.
Date: January 1, 2026. Source: theguardian.com