More than 2,600 Channel migrants arrived in May

Official figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reveals that 2,637 have reached English soil in 87 boats so far this month. 

While bad weather out at sea saw a temporary break in crossings between May 9 and May 14, migrant numbers are on the rise again as the Spring months bring calmer skies and waters.

According to the MoD, 9,439 people have arrived in the UK in 291 small boats so far this year.

In 2021 a staggering 28,526 people crossed the Channel - significantly higher than the 8,410 who arrived in 2020.

Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration Tom Pursglove said: ‘The rise in dangerous Channel crossings is unacceptable.

‘Not only are they an overt abuse of our immigration laws but they also impact on the UK taxpayer, risk lives and our ability to help refugees come to the UK via safe and legal routes. Rightly, the British public has had enough.

‘Through our Nationality and Borders Bill, we’re cracking down on people smugglers and fixing the broken system by making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK illegally and introducing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for those who facilitate illegal entry into our country.’