Small boat crossings are down - so what's behind the drop?

Arrivals in the UK to claim asylum after crossing the English Channel in small boats are down by about 45% versus the same period last year, but politicians are arguing over what caused the drop. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the reduction is due to increased wave height, pointing to a fishing-boat skipper. Andy Burnham countered that measures such as seizing engines and arresting smugglers show “progress” while insisting the government is “not complacent.” Nigel Farage said even low numbers could be disastrous. Oxford Migration Observatory researcher Dr Mihnea Cuibus warned there is unlikely to be one exact cause, since many factors affect each of the 14,531 arrivals this year.