The first migrants of the year have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel in freezing conditions, marking the start of small-boat arrivals in 2026.
Images released on Monday showed people stepping off a Border Force vessel in Dover after making the dangerous journey across the Channel. The crossing took place amid bitterly cold weather, with the Met Office forecasting sleet in the Dover Strait and temperatures around 1°C, feeling closer to minus 3°C.
Home Office data shows that 41,472 migrants reached the UK by small boat in 2025, making it the second-highest annual total on record. The figure was 13 per cent higher than in 2024 and 41 per cent above the 2023 total, though still below the peak of 45,774 recorded in 2022.
Historically, the earliest Channel crossings in a calendar year were recorded on January 2 in both 2021 and 2023. Last year, the first arrivals were logged on January 4. Updated figures for the latest arrivals are expected to be published by the Home Office on Tuesday.
The arrivals coincide with the introduction of new powers allowing authorities to seize mobile phones and SIM cards from migrants without arrest, as part of efforts to gather intelligence on people-smuggling networks. The measures, which came into effect on Monday, allow officers at the Manston processing centre in Kent to confiscate electronic devices and search for hidden SIM cards.
Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt described the changes as a “key moment” in tackling smuggling gangs.
However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the measures would not resolve the small-boats crisis.
Human rights charity Freedom From Torture also criticised the policy, describing invasive searches as inhumane and calling for expanded safe and legal routes to the UK.
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