The Independent has fact-checked the numbers to debunk Conservative MP Alex Burghart’s claim “illegal crossings into this country… continue at record levels”.
According to the government’s data, the number of people crossing the English Channel on small boats has been lower so far this year than at the same point in any year since 2023.
Between January 1, 2026 and 20 June, 2026, 11,136 people had made the crossing. The highest-ever month for crossings was during the Conservatives’ time in office, in 2022, with almost 46,000 people making the journey.
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