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230 Migrants Cross English Channel In Single Boat

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None less than 230 people have crossed the English Channel to the United Kingdom in a single small boat, marking the largest number ever recorded making the journey aboard one vessel. According to the BBC, the boat arrived in the UK in the early hours of Monday, surpassing the previous……

None less than 230 people have crossed the English Channel to the United Kingdom in a single small boat, marking the largest number ever recorded making the journey aboard one vessel.

According to the BBC, the boat arrived in the UK in the early hours of Monday, surpassing the previous record of 165 people who crossed the Channel in a single vessel in July.

The latest crossing brings the provisional number of people who have made the journey to the UK so far this year to 14,819, representing a 43 per cent decline from the figure recorded during the same period last year and 16 per cent lower than the number recorded in 2024.

A Home Office spokesperson attributed the record-sized crossing to what the government described as dangerous tactics by organised criminal groups.

The spokesperson said the incident demonstrated the “reckless and dangerous tactics employed by criminal gangs… who continue to put lives at risk by cramming ever greater numbers of people onto unseaworthy vessels”.

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The development comes after more than 170 people were rescued earlier this month when a boat they were using to cross the Channel caught fire.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also reacted to the latest crossing in a post on X, saying: “At 2.30am this morning a boat carrying 230 people was taken into Dover.

“This is a record number in a single vessel.

“It’s yet more proof that this illegal invasion is a national security emergency.”

The Home Office said the government had recorded a decline in Channel crossings this year, while stressing that further measures were being introduced to tackle irregular migration.

“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% more boots on the ground on French beaches.”

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