First migrants cross English Channel in nearly two weeks as net migration hits lowest level since pandemic
It comes after it was revealed that UK net migration dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year, the lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic
Migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel for the first time in nearly two weeks, in a sign that the Home Secretary's immigration clampdown is taking effect.
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Pictures show people in lifejackets being led from a Border Security Command vessel in Dover, Kent.
A break in the recent poor weather allowed for several crossing attempts to be launched on Friday, with temperatures expected to soar over the bank holiday weekend.
The crossing is the first since May 9, and so far this month, more than 1,000 people have arrived.
It comes after it was revealed that UK net migration dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year, the lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Experts have said it could be down to a number of different factors including the weather, the supply of small boat parts, government policy and the number of migrants coming into Europe.
The figures for the 12 months to December are down 48% compared with the previous year (331,000), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
It is the first time the estimate – which is the difference between the number of people arriving and leaving the country – has fallen below 200,000 since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The figures could lead to renewed calls for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s immigration policies to be watered down.
Marley Morris, from think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the Government’s progress “should prompt a more measured debate”.
It comes as the number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels stood at a new low of 20,885 at the end of March 2026, down 35% year-on-year, Home Office figures show.