The crossing is the first since May 9.

Migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Pictures show people in lifejackets being led from a Border Security Command vessel in Dover, Kent.

A break in the recent poor weather allowed for several crossing attempts to be launched on Friday, with temperatures expected to soar over the bank holiday weekend.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent, from a Border Security Command vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel
It comes after it was revealed that UK net migration dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The crossing is the first since May 9, and so far this month, more than 1,000 people have arrived.

The number of arrivals is down 44% on this time last year, and 23% on the same point in 2024.

Experts have said it could be down to a number of different factors including the weather, the supply of small boat parts, government policy and the number of migrants coming into Europe.

It comes after it was revealed that UK net migration dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year, the lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The figures for the 12 months to December are down 48% compared with the previous year (331,000), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It is the first time the estimate – which is the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country – has fallen below 200,000 since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The figures could lead to renewed calls for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s immigration policies to be watered down.

Marley Morris, from think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the Government’s progress “should prompt a more measured debate”.

More from Perspective

Get a free copy of our print edition

News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.
You need to agree with the terms to proceed

Your email address will not be published. The views expressed in the comments below are not those of Perspective. We encourage healthy debate, but racist, misogynistic, homophobic and other types of hateful comments will not be published.