The United Kingdom has witnessed a significant increase in the number of migrants arriving by small boats across the Channel in the first quarter of 2024, marking a record surge. Official Home Office figures reveal a nearly 42% increase in such arrivals compared to the same period last year, with over 5,000 migrants having made the crossing, including 442 people on Easter Sunday alone. This spike in arrivals has been attributed to better weather conditions, despite previous claims by Downing Street that weather did not influence crossing numbers. The issue has sparked political debate, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressing confidence in his ability to 'stop the boats', amidst criticism from various quarters, including Labour, which emphasizes the need for a comprehensive plan to address the crisis.
Downing Street has blamed gangs exploiting better weather for the surge in small boats this year – despite claiming a previous fall in crossings was not linked to the weather https://t.co/vQAZ2c6x20
🚨 ICYMI 'UP by 43% year-on-year, and you haven't said a dicky-bird!' @Nigel_Farage calls out Home Secretary @JamesCleverly over his silence on the 43% year-on-year increase of illegal channel crossings, after spurious claims on the amount of migrant crossings over Christmas. https://t.co/y9spODrjwz
Downing Street has blamed gangs exploiting better weather for the surge in small boats this year – despite claiming a previous fall in crossings was not linked to the weather. https://t.co/LDW1dzC6EN https://t.co/RikrwHBD7K
Channel migrant crossings are now up 43%. The silence from James Cleverly is deafening. https://t.co/UnLtE8H3ix
We've just witnessed the busiest Easter weekend on record for small boat crossings. PM was quick to claim he'd stopped the boats, but where is he now? We need Labour's plan to smash the criminal smuggler gangs, end expensive hotel use, & return people with no right to be here. https://t.co/bYzJOegPP0
'UP by 43% year-on-year, and you haven't said a dicky-bird!' @Nigel_Farage calls out Home Secretary @JamesCleverly over his silence on the 43% year-on-year increase of illegal channel crossings, after his spurious claims on the amount of migrant crossings over Christmas. https://t.co/iU014xXwD1
Politics latest news: Sunak confident he can 'stop the boats' despite record crossings https://t.co/8nEfOb7yH2
Rishi Sunak is still confident he can 'stop the boats' despite more than 5,000 migrants crossing the Channel already this year - as No10 blames the weather for an increase in numbers https://t.co/bKzNuxdJEq https://t.co/DyFdSIbX5t
PM confident he can stop boats as Labour says it's tough to end crisis entirely https://t.co/lD2oLB6NMI
The Prime Minister is still confident he can 'stop the boats', Downing Street said, as arrivals by small boat topped 5,000 in the first three months of the year (via @PA) https://t.co/GOo7u5N9sM
Channel Crisis: Illegal Boat Migration Up 43 Per Cent in Britain over Last Year https://t.co/QFR8gF3fg4
"Are you confident that if Labour wins the next election, you can stop the small boats?" @KayBurley "It's a tough problem for all countries throughout Europe so I think anybody who says 'I can make this stop' is probably in danger of overclaiming" says @patmcfaddenmp Sky 501 https://t.co/o7hviB8FXU
A record 5,000+ people have illegally crossed the channel this year. ❌The Tories’ Rwanda FARCE is not working. ➡️Only Reform UK’s 6-point plan will stop the boats. https://t.co/P66hzbywwb
Channel arrivals on small boats to the U.K. hit a record in the first quarter of 2024 with a nearly 42% rise over last year, the interior ministry said. https://t.co/NZUcGvnN9I
'Complete Chaos': Rishi Sunak Slammed As Record Numbers Of Small Boats Cross Channel https://t.co/ZqX2tK9T6N
GB News Home and Security Editor, Mark White, discusses official Home Office figures that show another 442 people in nine small boats crossed the Channel on Easter Sunday, a 43 per cent increase on the same period last year. https://t.co/nvCj4uWDKN
UK says Channel crossings on small boats hit a record this winter https://t.co/daShopBiKr
'The latest figures from the Home Office show a record high in terms of those who have crossed the channel between January and March this year.' Sky's @sabahchoudhry reports live in Dover with the latest on the channel crossings https://t.co/6lvsOCncx1 📺 Sky 501 and YouTube https://t.co/75KCSvSPOh
NEW: UK says Channel crossings on small boats hit a record this winter https://t.co/l8xprwosHy
🚨 BREAKING: Channel migrant arrivals to the UK have surged by 43% in 2024. 📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604 🖥 GB News on YouTube https://t.co/Wa58gYGZwF https://t.co/T9wFqXC00f