Tuesday August 11, 2026
The UK’s new prime minister has vowed to be ‘relentless’ in tackling small boat crossings [File: Carl Court/Getty Images]
A record 230 people arrived in the UK aboard a single boat after crossing the English Channel, prompting the government to condemn the “reckless and dangerous tactics” of the people-smuggling gangs behind the journeys.
The vessel departed France late on Sunday and reached the English coast early Monday, after British authorities intercepted it.
The latest arrival surpasses the previous record, set last month when 165 people completed the crossing.
Smuggling gangs have increasingly packed migrants onto boats in an effort to move larger numbers across the Channel.
Earlier this month, a dinghy carrying 173 people towards the UK capsized after its engine caught fire in the Channel.
“This latest incident demonstrates the reckless and dangerous tactics employed by the criminal gangs facilitating these crossings, who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
“We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020.
“But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40 percent more boots on the ground on French beaches.”
Provisional figures indicate that 14,819 people have crossed the English Channel from France so far this year, 43 percent fewer than during the corresponding period from January to mid-July last year.
