The total number of migrants and refugees that have arrived in the UK by small boats has surpassed 200,000 since records began in 2018. The latest Home Office figures confirmed 70 people crossed the English Channel in small boats on Friday, bringing the total number of arrivals over the 200,000 milestone in the last nine years. The figures will serve a blow to Sir Keir Starmer ’s government, which has repeatedly pledged to take strong action to tackle people smuggling gangs and reduce the number of people making the dangerous crossing since coming to office. Despite efforts, crossings in the Channel have soared, with some 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025. This was up from 36,816 people in 2024, and 29,437 in 2023. The peak number of crossings was in 2022, when around 46,000 made the journey to the UK.…