The number of migrants crossing the English Channel into the United Kingdom in 2024 rose by 25%, according to data released by the Interior Ministry.

The numbers were up to 36,816 in 2024, from 29,437 in 2023, though still below the 2022 record of 45,774.

The year 2024 also marked the deadliest year for Channel crossings, with at least 76 recorded deaths. According to French officials, there were also over 5,800 sea rescues and 870 attempts at crossings foiled.

The surge in migrant crossings comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is under increased political pressure to address the issue.

Legal migration also at historic high

According to the Interior Ministry report, people from Vietnam, Iran and Syria fueled the surge in numbers, with Afghanistan accounting for the single largest group of arrivals in the first nine months of last year.

Meanwhile, net legal migration, estimated at 728,000 for the year to June 2024, was also at historically high levels.

The Migration Observatory at Oxford University reported that approximately 29,000 people were returned between January and early December, a 25% increase from 2023 and the highest level since 2017.

Labour government under pressure

After coming to power in July, Starmer scrapped the previous Conservative government's controversial scheme to send irregular migrants to Rwanda and has since targeted people traffickers running the crossings.

Last month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government had a moral responsibility to tackle Channel crossings.

The government pledged to dismantle smuggling networks, enhance international cooperation, and treat traffickers as a global security threat. 

Labour's new border strategies include a Border Security Command and treaties with European partners, including Europol. However, experts say it's too early to gauge their impact. 

While Starmer's government highlight their successes in increased return of irregular migrants to their countries of origin, the issue of immigration has come at a time when there is rising support for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.

ss/jsi (AFP, dpa)