Illegal Boat Migration Over English Channel Surged by 25 Per Cent in 2024; ‘It makes me sick!’ Lee Anderson Demands Small Boats Be Burned Back ‘the same day’ After Christmas Channel Crossings

By admin On Jan 19, 2025

Illegal Boat Migration over English Channel Surged by 25 Per Cent in 2024:

The number of illegal migrants who crossed the English Channel in 2024 increased by 25 per cent over the previous year, according to initial government figures.

In 2024, 36,816 illegals were recorded crossing the Channel in small boats from the beaches of France. This was a 25 per cent rise over the previous year when 29,437 boat migrants successfully crossed the waterway, Sky News reported.

While it declined from the record year of 2022, when 45,774 illegals were recorded crossing the Channel, 2024 was still higher than any other year but ’22 since the crisis began in 2018.

2024 is also believed to be the deadliest year on record, with the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) reporting that 77 people lost their lives attempting to cross the often treacherous waterway. However, the French claim that the number was lower, reporting 55 deaths.

Despite vowing to the public to tackle the crisis, the left-wing Labour Party government oversaw 23,242 illegal landings by boat migrants since coming to power in July, a 29 per cent increase over the same period in 2023, The Telegraph reported.

Upon coming into office, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer immediately scrapped the scheme put forward by previous governments to send boat migrants immediately to detention centres in Rwanda rather than allowing illegals to remain in Britain while their asylum claims were processed.

Instead of deterring migrants from trying to come to the UK with threats of immediate removal, the leftist government pinned its hopes on slowing the tide of illegals by targeting the people smuggling gangs responsible for facilitating their crossings. —>READ MORE HERE

‘It makes me sick!’ Lee Anderson demands small boats be turned back ‘the same day’ after Christmas Channel crossings:

Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has launched a scathing attack on Labour’s approach to Channel crossings, demanding immediate action to turn back migrant boats following a surge in arrivals over the festive period.

Speaking to GB News, Anderson expressed his fury over recent crossings, stating: “I am sick to death – we’ve seen it over Christmas, 1,500 illegal migrants, young males coming into this country. It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.”

Anderson insisted that boats should be returned to France on “the same day” they attempt the crossing.

The Reform MP claimed this tough approach had proven successful previously, telling GB News: “We saw it a few months back, where actually we did turn the boat back in the English Channel, it went back to France the same day.”

New figures have shown Channel crossings surged by 25 per cent in 2024, with 36,816 people making the perilous journey compared to 29,437 in 2023.

The final crossings of the year occurred on December 29, when 291 people arrived in six boats from France.

Anderson dismissed Labour’s recent efforts to tackle people smuggling, calling their approach “a load of nonsense.”

“They’re getting put straight into hotels, and we heard the Labour Party bleating on about smashing the gangs, and they’ve arrested somebody who supplies the boats – what a load of nonsense that is,” he told GB News.