Channel Crisis: Illegal Boat Crossings Hit Another Record High, Up Nearly 30 Per Cent Over Last Year

The inability or unwillingness of the “Conservative” government in Westminster to “stop the boats” was put on display again over the weekend, as 748 illegals were brought ashore at Dover after crossing the English Channel from France, taking the total for this time of year to a new record high.

The Home Office said that 214 illegal boat migrants were recorded reaching Britain on Saturday and a further 534 crossings on Sunday, the highest daily figure seen so far this year.

The 748 illegal arrivals mean that a record 6,265 have crossed the Channel so far this year, an increase of 28 per cent over last year when 4,899 had crossed at this point and seven per cent higher than the previous record of 5,828 seen in 2022 at this time, The Telegraph reports.

The new record suggests that this year is on pace to surpass the yearly record of 45,774 seen in 2022.

Last year, the government hailed a 36 per cent decrease in illegal crossings as somehow a result of government policy, which mostly consisted of sending billions more to Paris to increase police patrols of people smuggling hotspots along the French coast.

However, the apparently premature claims of success by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Tories were heavily disputed, with analysis finding that last year’s decline was more likely a result of the weather conditions in the English Channel than government policy.

The claims of success were further undercut by Downing Street blaming the milder weather for the increase seen this year, in a tacit admission that nature is currently playing the determinative role rather than the government.

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