France Number of boat migrants on the English Channel increased again in 2024
The number of boat migrants on the English Channel rose again in 2024. This is according to figures from the British government. At the same time, it was the deadliest year on the strait, as the British news agency PA reported.
01.01.2025, 11:45
SDA
According to the figures, around 36,800 people crossed the sea from France to England in small boats in 2024. That's a quarter more than the previous year, when around 29,400 made the dangerous journey. Nevertheless, the number was lower than in the record year of 2022, when around 45,700 people reached the UK this way.
London relies on closer cooperation with Germany
53 people died on the dangerous crossing, the PA report said, citing figures from the French coastguard - more than ever before in a calendar year.
The new Labour government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer has shelved plans by the previous Conservative government to send the arrivals to Rwanda with no prospect of return. Instead, it wants to take stronger action against criminal smuggling gangs.
Among other things, London is relying on closer cooperation with Germany, from where some of the smugglers operate. During raids in Germany in recent years, large quantities of cash and firearms were discovered alongside numerous rubber dinghies and engines.
