Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Small boat arrivals this month higher than June 2022

Total arrivals in 2023 stands at just under 11,000.

Ian Jones
Friday 23 June 2023 08:56 EDT
Some 3,303 people have been detected crossing the Channel in small boats so far this month (Gareth Fuller/PA)
Some 3,303 people have been detected crossing the Channel in small boats so far this month (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The number of Channel crossings by people in small boats so far this month is now higher than the number for June last year, figures show.

Some 312 people were detected making the crossing on Thursday, the Home Office said.

It brings the cumulative number for the month to 3,303: higher than the 3,140 recorded across all of June 2022.

Total arrivals in 2023 now stands at a provisional figure of 10,913.

Some 45,755 people were detected making the crossing during 2022.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has named stopping crossings by small boats one of his five priorities for the year, along with cutting NHS waiting lists, growing the economy, halving inflation and reducing the national debt.

Eight boats were detected on Thursday, which suggests an average of around 39 people crossed the Channel per boat.

The total number of arrivals so far this year remains below the equivalent number at this point last year.

Just over 11,800 people had made the crossing by June 22 2022 – nearly 1,000 higher than the 10,913 detected so far in 2023.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in