LONDON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of people who have crossed the English Channel in small boats has surpassed 50,000 since Keir Starmer became British prime minister in July 2024, Home Office data showed on Tuesday.
According to the figures, a total of 50,271 people -- most of whom have successfully claimed asylum -- have arrived in Britain from France, following the arrival of 474 migrants on Monday.
The Home Office noted that the statistics do not include individuals arriving in Britain on larger vessels such as go-fast craft, motor cruisers, or fishing boats.
In July, Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to jointly crack down on illegal immigration. "The leaders agreed that tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions," Downing Street said in a statement at the time.
On Aug. 7, the British government confirmed that the first illegal migrants had been detained under a new return deal between Britain and France.
"We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France," Starmer said in a post on X. ■
