Almost 20,000 asylum seekers have sailed across the English Channel in small boats since January 1 and arrived in Britain, a record number for the first half of the year.

The arrivals are increasing pressure on Prime Minister Kier Starmer, whose government is looking for ways to reduce arrivals.

Yesterday, 879 more immigrants arrived in Britain on Monday, bringing the total number of arrivals to 19,982 in six months. There is therefore an increase in arrivals of 48% compared to last year (13,489) and 75% compared to 2023 (11,433).

It’s also a six-month record since 2018, when migrant arrivals to Britain began to be recorded.

Starmer is under pressure to tackle the problem, and he has pledged to “smash the gangs” of smugglers.

The government said more than 24,000people  who are not entitled to be in the UK had been deported since last July. It added that good weather and new “techniques” of stowing more people on boats were boosting the number of arrivals.

In 2024, 73 people were killed trying to cross the English Channel.