Labour ministers are urged to reveal total number of migrants who have died in the Channel – after nearly 37,000 people in small boats made perilous crossing last year_Nhy
Attempts to enforce the UK’s border could lead to an increase in Channel deaths, a charity has warned as it urged ministers to reveal how many migrants perish.
As figures confirmed the number of migrants arriving in the UK in 2024 in small boats was up by a quarter on the previous year, the Refugee Council called for data on deaths.
At least 69 people died crossing the Channel last year, but the Government does not publish data confirming the numbers or any information about those who have lost their lives.
The Refugee Council said ministers seem to have ‘accepted that enforcement action against the smuggling gangs has made the journeys more dangerous’.
But it criticised the Government for making ‘no announcements on improving search and rescue in the Channel’.
Labour has repeatedly pledged to ‘smash the gangs’ trafficking people across the Continent, and ministers have said increased pressure on people smugglers has led to boats being overloaded – leading to more deaths.
The Refugee Council said the Government, jointly with the French, should publish quarterly data on the numbers who have died, including their age, sex and nationality.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel on December 29
A graph which indicates the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel in small boats
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by the RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat on December 28
It also urged ministers to produce a plan for reducing lives lost, and to set out a plan for reviewing and expanding safe and legal routes to the UK.
The charity warned: ‘There is a risk that 2025 continues to see an increase in deaths as more action is taken to enforce the UK’s border without also addressing the reasons why people are willing to put their lives at risk in the first place.’
CEO Enver Solomon said: ‘The record number of deaths in the Channel this year should serve as a stark reminder that the current approach is not working.
‘Smuggling gangs are profiting from men, women and children forced into life-threatening conditions, and enforcement measures alone are not enough to address this.
‘More safe and legal routes are needed to provide a lifeline for those fleeing war and persecution… The Government needs to take a different approach if it is to ensure everything possible is done so that 2025 does not see a repeat of last year’s devastating loss.’
However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the Mail safe and legal routes ‘will not stop the crossings unless we let in every single person who wants to come to the UK – which is manifestly ridiculous’.
A graph indicating the cumulative arrivals of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by the RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat
A graph indicating the number of migrants per boat crossing the English Channel since recording began in 2018
‘It is therefore deeply disingenuous of the Refugee Council to suggest that safe and legal routes are a solution to Channel crossings.’
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Every life lost at sea is a tragedy, which is why our efforts are focused on saving lives, as well as protecting our borders.
‘The people smuggling gangs only care about profit and we are seeing their behaviour adapt, with more people crammed into flimsy and dangerous boats.
‘Our joint work with France in preventing crossings is about stopping people putting themselves and others at risk.’
Some 36,816 people crossed the Channel in small boats in 2024, a jump of 25 per cent from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.
The total is down 20 per cent on the record 45,774 arrivals in 2022, however.
