Fact Check: Small boat arrival numbers remain high despite no crossings for days

A post on X said: “In the last week, 0 migrants have arrived in the UK across the English Channel.”

It added: “Starmer has been the first UK PM to stop illegal migration, and to take back control over their borders.”

The post had an image of a data table showing there were no migrant or boat arrivals recorded between March 24 and March 27.

Evaluation

There have been many instances since small boat crossings official data began in 2018 when no arrivals were recorded for a week or longer.

Despite these periods, 41,472 people arrived to the UK on small boats in 2025 – the second highest annual figure since records began in 2018.

The Home Office says the numbers fluctuate, often due to changes in the weather.

The day after the post on X, the Home Office reported more than 300 people arriving to the UK on small boats.

The facts

The post is referring to the Home Office’s web page on small boat arrivals over the last seven days which is updated daily. As of its update on April 2, the page showed 325 migrants arrived to the UK on small boats crossing the English Channel on April 1.

At the time of the X post on March 31, the page would have shown no crossings recorded between March 24 and March 30.

Data published since the post was made shows there were no arrivals recorded on March 31 either, meaning there were eight consecutive days where no migrants entered the UK in small boats.

Small boat arrival numbers fluctuate, with the Home Office stating this is “often due to changes in the weather”. It adds warmer summer months typically see higher numbers due to more favourable crossing conditions.

Press Association analysis of the small boat arrival data found 84 instances since records began in 2018 when no arrivals were reported for a week or longer.

The longest period with no arrivals recorded was in 2018 with a stint of 136 days ending in June. This was before figures began rapidly increasing since 2020.

There have been five instances in 2026 where no arrivals were reported for at least seven days. There were 11 instances in both 2025 and 2024, eight in 2023, and nine in each year from 2020 to 2022.

Despite these periods, some 41,472 people arrived to the UK on small boats in 2025 – the second highest annual figure since 2018. So far in 2026, there have been 4,766 arrivals.

The dataset also shows 69,480 people have arrived on small boats since Sir Keir became Prime Minister on July 5, 2024.

Links

Post on X (archived)

Gov.uk – Small boat arrivals: last 7 days (archived)

Gov.uk – Small boat activity in the English Channel (archived data and PA analysis download)

Gov.uk – How many people come to the UK via illegal entry routes? (archived)

Gov.uk – The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer (archived)

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