More than 200,000 migrants have arrived in the United Kingdom after crossing the English Channel since 2018, according to government figures released on Saturday. The milestone comes as dozens of migrants were seen being brought ashore in Dover, Kent, on Friday morning.
Record Numbers Since 2018
Home Office data confirmed that 70 people arrived in one boat on Friday, pushing the total number of arrivals since current records began to 200,013. Just over a third of this total, 72,094 (36%), have arrived since Labour took power in July 2024, according to Press Association analysis. The remaining 127,919 (64%) made the journey under Conservative governments spanning four prime ministers: Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.
Recent Trends and Fatalities
The milestone follows the deaths of two women attempting the crossing on Sunday morning, after six deaths reported in April by French authorities. Channel crossings so far in 2026 are tracking at a lower level than the previous two years, with 7,380 arrivals, 36% down on the same point in 2025 and 16% below 2024.
Successive governments have worked with France to disrupt crossings and revised asylum rules to deter the dangerous journey. In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with French authorities to pay £662 million for beach patrols to reduce arrivals.
Policy Changes Under Labour
Ms. Mahmood is seeking to overhaul the asylum system, including making refugee status temporary, to deter crossings and ease deportations. The current government scrapped the Conservatives' multimillion-pound deal to send migrants to Rwanda, with only four volunteers sent before the policy was ditched. This move has prompted a legal battle, with Rwanda seeking to sue Britain for over £100 million, claiming breach of contract. UK lawyers deny the claim.
Annual Arrivals and Boat Sizes
The number of migrants making the journey started at very low levels, with just 299 arrivals in 2018. In December of that year, then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid cut short a Christmas break to declare a "major incident" after 45 migrants crossed on Christmas Day. Annual totals increased to 1,843 in 2019, 8,466 in 2020, 28,526 in 2021, and a peak of 45,774 in 2022. Arrivals fell to 29,437 in 2023, then rose to 36,816 in 2024 and 41,472 in 2025.
While annual volumes have varied, the average number of migrants per boat has steadily increased: from 7 in 2018, 11 in 2019, 13 in 2020, 28 in 2021, 41 in 2022, 49 in 2023, 53 in 2024, 62 in 2025, and 64 so far in 2026.
Fatalities and Missing Persons
There is no official record of Channel fatalities, but 2024 is likely the deadliest year, with 50 deaths recorded by the French coastguard. At least 17 people died attempting the journey in 2025, according to French and UK authorities. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has also reported more migrant deaths believed to be linked to crossing attempts. The first known drowning was 31-year-old Iranian woman Mitra Mehrad in August 2019.
