LONDON (dpa-AFX) – Almost 41,500 migrants crossed the English Channel towards Great Britain in small boats last year. This was reported by the British news agency PA, citing figures from the Home Office in London. It is the second highest number ever recorded. Only in 2022 was it even higher at almost 45,800 people. Monthly numbers were at record levels for much of the year, but recently the volume has declined.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor government is under enormous pressure to stop the dangerous crossings. The Social Democrats wanted to get the matter under control through an agreement with France on the take-back of migrants and through closer coordination with Germany and other countries in taking action against smuggling gangs. But successes have so far been a long way off.
Right-wing populist Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party has been leading the polls for months, castigated the government’s efforts as a “complete disaster” and a “farce.” Conservative Party domestic policy spokesman Chris Philp called for withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights as the “only way to act effectively”./cmy/DP/zb