More than 400 migrants arrive in the UK crossing the Channel in small boats

More than 400 further migrants have arrived in the UK having crossed the Channel in small boats despite the French police taking a tougher stance to control the departures.

According to Home Office figures, 437 people made the crossing on Friday June 20 in seven boats, bringing the total for the year so far to 17,817.

This compares to 12,313 by the same date in 2024 and 10,518 in 2023 while 11,690 had made the crossing by June 20 in 2022.

The latest arrivals come after Sir Keir Starmer said the situation was “deteriorating” and threatened a visa crackdown.

The Prime Minister signalled that countries which did not do enough to tackle the irregular migration crisis, for example by taking back failed asylum seekers, could face repercussions in the numbers of visas issued to their citizens.

Sir Keir’s message came as French police were seen to employ more robust tactics on the beaches this week including using teargas.

But they were also seen to stand by and watch once migrants had entered the water to board a dinghy in the hope of crossing the English Channel.