Some 882 people crossed the English Channel on Tuesday, the Home Office has said, which is the highest number on a single day so far this year.
The total number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 12,313, which is 18% higher than the total at the equivalent point last year, when it was 10,472.
It’s also 5% higher than the total at this stage in 2022, which was 11,690.
On Tuesday, 15 boats were detected, suggesting an average of about 59 people per boat.
Having 15 boats cross in a single day has only happened twice in the past year – the last occurrence being in September last year.
There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36% on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.
The government has promised to “stop small boats”, but made clear that does not mean there will be zero crossings.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not defined how low a number they are targeting.
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