A Home Office spokesperson said:
"The number of small boat crossings are shameful and the British people deserve better.
“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.
“The Home Secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.”
Background:
- The Home Secretary announced new measures to reduce the incentives for illegal migrants to come to the UK such as: revoking the statutory legal duty to provide asylum-seeker support, including housing and handouts, for those that have a right to work and who can support themselves but choose not to or those who break UK law.
- The Home Secretary also announced measures to increase removals of illegal migrants with no right to be here, including: restricting illegal migrants to a single route of appeal and fast-tracking cases with little chance of success to increase removals.
- Over 150 people have been returned under this government’s landmark UK-France returns pilot.
- Almost 50,000 failed asylum seekers, foreign criminals and other immigration offenders have been removed or deported from British soil since July 2024 - a 23% increase compared to the previous 16-month period before July 2024.
- From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9 million a day, there are now fewer than 200 in use, and we will close them all by the end of this Parliament.
- Under the Border Security Asylum and Immigration Act, we are taking on the gangs with new stronger powers to disable criminal activity faster.
- As part of the stronger powers, officers will be able to seize electronic devices like mobile phones, suspected of containing information about organised immigration crime.
- Our Borders Act will also make it illegal to supply or handle items, including small boat equipment, suspected of use for Organised Immigration Crime.
- 2022 saw the worst year on record for small boat crossings. Over 45,000 people arrived in the UK via small boat.