express– The number of migrant crossings to have been made across the English Channel has risen significantly over the past 12 months as people continue to seek refuge in the UK. Such is the level of desperation that last month 27 people tragically lost their lives during an attempted crossing. Below, Express.co.uk takes a look at the numbers that matter most in relation to the ongoing migrant crisis.
Home Office figures have revealed that the total number of migrants to have reached the UK by boat this year has now exceeded 2020’s total.
More than 25,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK this year. In comparison, the figure for 2020 was 8,469.
The figure for 2021 is even more staggering when you consider we still have the majority of December left to see the total climb even higher.
Indeed, according to Home Office data, 2020’s total was surpassed this year by the middle of July.
The record for the most migrants to have arrived on UK shores within a single day was set last month.
Here, the Home Office confirmed 1,185 people had made the same journey all within 24 hours of each other.
As the number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel increases so too have the risks that people are willing to take in order to reach the UK.
Tragically, last month saw the deadliest attempted crossing that had ever been recorded, after 27 people lost their lives.
The International Organisation for Migration later confirmed this to be the case since it began collecting data in 2014.
Despite this though, while the total number of migrants crossing the Channel by boat has increased the opposite can be said for the number who attempt to claim asylum in the UK.
For the year ending in June 2021, the number had fallen by four percent compared with the previous 12 months.
Fewer migrants are now thought to be using other strategies – including planes or lorries – to gain passage into the UK without being detected.
In fact, analysts believe migrants no longer see these transport routes as viable due to increased security at ports and the ongoing Covid pandemic.
Many of the individuals who look to enter the UK originate from some of the most deprived countries in the world such as Yemen, Sudan and Iraq.
Conflict, persecution and poverty are just some of the circumstances that people are looking to escape in order to find a better life for themselves and their families.
Under international law, people have the right to seek asylum in whichever country they arrive in.
In addition, there is no rule that stipulates you must seek this in the first safe country you come across.
Today, at 8pm there is expected to be a final Commons vote on the Home Secretary, Priti Patel’s Nationality and Borders Bill.
Ms Patel says that the legislation is the “long-term solution” to tackling the issue of migrant crossings in the English Channel.
Should it pass, the bill proposes to change the current UK immigration system by introducing a two-tier framework for asylum seekers arriving in the UK, which differs based on what method a person uses to enter the country.
Moreover, it also aims to change the process relating to asylum claims and appeals and counter people smuggling and modern slavery.
