Migrants crossing Channel to UK in 2024 soar to almost 37,000

The number of irregular migrants crossing the Channel to Britain in small boats in 2024 soared by a quarter compared with the previous year, government data showed Wednesday.

More than 36,000 people made the dangerous journey last year, a 25 percent jump from over 29,000 who arrived in 2023.

The total, however, was still well below the record numbers of over 45,700 arrivals in 2022. Prime Minister of United Kingdom Keir Starmer has pledged to crack down on the arrivals.

Starmer scrapped the previous Conservative government's controversial scheme to send the irregular migrants to Rwanda.

Starmer has pledged to "smash the gangs" of people traffickers running the crossings and has signed a number of agreements with foreign countries to co-operate on law enforcement.