Channel crossings: 564 migrants arrive in UK as man dies attempting journey

More than 500 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel on the day a man died trying to make the journey.

According to the Home Office, 564 people arrived in 12 boats on Wednesday, taking the provisional total for the year so far to 30,431.

The latest arrivals mean the total for 2024 to date is up 14% on the figure recorded this time last year (26,605) but down 24% on 2022 (39,883).

It was the 10th death this month and means the number of people who have died while trying to cross the Channel this year now stands at 50, according to incidents recorded by the French coastguard.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has recorded eight other migrant deaths believed to be linked to attempts to cross the Channel this year, including people found dead on French roads or canals near the coast.

Three more bodies were reportedly found on a French beach on Wednesday.

Channel crossings continued on Thursday, with pictures showing groups of people wearing life jackets arriving in Dover, Kent, on a Border Force boat.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the Government “inherited a migration system in chaos” and efforts to curb Channel crossings were a “work in progress” which was going to take time.

Asked by reporters when the number of arrivals will fall, he said: “I’m not going to put arbitrary forecasts on it.

“You’ve seen what happens, and the impact on public trust, when previous governments made commitments that it can’t meet.”