More than 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday, the largest single-day total since May, bringing the number of recorded Channel arrivals so far this year to more than 30,000, British media reported.
The figure marks the biggest daily arrival since May, when around 1,195 people were reported to have reached the UK in one day. The Saturday crossings were reported amid renewed scrutiny of how the government plans to accommodate and process people arriving by small boats.
The reporting said the arrivals come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government considers changes to asylum accommodation. Labour is said to be planning to close hotel sites used to house asylum seekers and move residents into former military barracks. Two such bases currently being used are MDP Wethersfield in Essex and Napier Barracks in Folkestone; both were opened under the previous Conservative government.
Pro-migrant groups have criticised the use of former barracks for asylum accommodation, comparing the sites to prisons, the reports said. Media coverage also noted that Labour drew up plans last year to end the use of the two sites but is now pursuing a policy that would expand the use of former military facilities for housing asylum seekers.
Channel crossings have been a persistent political and operational issue for successive UK governments, with high daily arrivals placing pressure on the Home Office, local authorities and NGOs involved in initial reception and processing. The more-than-30,000 figure for the year to date underscores the scale of crossings compared with previous years, according to the reporting.
The government has faced criticism from multiple sides over both border enforcement and the accommodation of people awaiting asylum decisions. Increased arrivals on single days intensify debate over capacity, the suitability of different types of accommodation and the speed of case processing, as the administration seeks to implement changes to immigration and asylum policy.
Officials and advocacy groups have offered contrasting views about the best approach to housing and processing new arrivals, and the spike in crossings is likely to draw further attention to those disagreements. The daily total reported for Saturday will be included in ongoing monitoring of Channel crossings and is expected to inform discussions within government about border management and asylum accommodation going forward.