Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREESee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy ELEANOR MANN Published: 19:29 BST, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 21:29 BST, 22 May 2026
Small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel for the first time in nearly two weeks. People in lifejackets were seen being led from a Border Security Command vessel in Dover, Kent, on Friday, making it the first crossing since May 9. The break in recent poor weather allowed for several crossing attempts to be launched today, as temperatures are expected to continue to soar over the bank holiday weekend. The number of arrivals is down by 44 per cent on this time last year, and 23 per cent on the same point in 2024. Experts 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. 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. The figures for the 12 months to December are down 48 per cent 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. A group of people thought to be migrants were pictured exiting a Border Security Command vessel in Dover, Kent, on Friday It marks the first crossing of the English Channel in nearly two weeks 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'.In April, Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement to pay France £662million to support beach patrols in a bid to drive down the number of arrivals.The Home Office said the arrangement would see officers 'targeting and detaining' migrants on the French coast with the aim of removing hundreds from beaches every year. It means Labour will hand over £501million to cover five police units and enforcement activity on French beaches – with an extra £160million only paid if new tactics to curb Channel crossings succeed.If efforts fail, the additional funding will stop after a year, the Home Office said.It was also confirmed for the first time that French authorities' new initiative to stop boats at sea will only apply to dinghies with fewer than 20 migrants aboard. Under Labour's new agreement the £53million-a-year extra payments will partly depend on how many boats are intercepted at sea. Migrants on an inflatable dinghy clamber on to a UK Border Force vessel on BSC Intrepid after crossing the Channel from northern France on April 27. More than 100 small-boat migrants were rescued by the French coastguard after their dinghy broke downBritish cash will pay for a new specialist vessel for the French to use in interceptions, and 20 extra trained maritime officers to carry out the work.It will also be used to pay for two new helicopters for the French to use in surveillance operations along their coastline.Further British funds will cover the cost of a new 50-strong police riot squad specially trained in dispersing large groups of people. On April 27, more than 100 small-boat migrants were rescued by the French coastguard after their dinghy broke down in the Channel. Several people got into difficulty while trying to climb into the boat, including a woman who lost consciousness and had to be evacuated by helicopter, the maritime authority said.
