Record 66 migrants packed onto small boats in Channel under Labour

New analysis says the average number of migrants crammed onto small boats crossing the Channel has more than doubled under Labour, reaching a record high. So far this year, 219 vessels have made it to Kent, carrying 14,561 migrants in total—an average of 66 people per boat. That compares with 28 migrants per vessel in 2021 (1,064 crossings, 28,526 people) and 62 per boat last year, with 53 in 2024. The report comes as smugglers increasingly use “mega-dinghies” able to carry over 100 people, partly because launches may be shifting farther from Calais and Dunkirk. Reform UK and Conservatives argue crossings are more dangerous and call for tougher measures.