Small boat arrivals fell by a third in Rishi Sunak’s last year of power piling pressure on Labour
Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorMigrants crossing the Channel in small boats fell by almost a third in Rishi Sunak’s last year as prime minister, figures show, piling pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to continue the downward trend.In the year to 30 June, days before the general election, there were 31,493 arrivals in the UK via small boats. It marked a 29 per cent fall on the year before and a slight decrease from the same period two years ago.Coming just days after Yvette Cooper fleshed out Labour’s alternative to the Rwanda deportation policy, which would have sent some asylum seekers to the east African nation, the figures will add to the pressure on the government to bring the numbers down further.Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper will come under pressure to cut the number of arrivals via small boats More