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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Millie Cooke

Number of overcrowded small boats carrying more than 80 migrants across Channel quadruples

The number of overcrowded small boats arriving in the UK carrying more than 80 people has quadrupled in three years, casting doubt over Labour’s pledge to stop migrants from making the dangerous journey.

Fresh analysis from the Home Office showed that 33 boats made the perilous journey while carrying more than 80 people in the year to April 2025 – up from eight in the year to April 2022.

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