As of 30 July, 25,436 migrants had crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025. It is the first time the 25,000 threshold has been reached in July since records began in 2018. In previous years, the earliest date this had happened was 27 August, in 2022.

The UK government has announced a £100 million funding boost to tackle the escalating issue of people smuggling across the English Channel, as part of a broader strategy to curb record levels of irregular migration.

Britain has announced that people advertising fake passports or people-smuggling services on social media could face up to five years in prison