UK home secretary hails drop in small boats crossing English Channel

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a sharp drop in small boat arrivals across the English Channel in August, calling it evidence that Labour’s plan to “smash the gangs” is beginning to work.

According to Home Office data released on September 1, 55 small boats crossed the Channel last month, down from 75 in the same period last year. It marked the lowest monthly total since 2019, when 34 boats made the journey, The Financial Times reports. 

Cooper is set to present the figures to MPs as they return to Westminster, saying there has been a 40 per cent increase in disruptions against immigration gangs over the past year, including arrests, asset seizures, and the interception of boats on the Bulgarian border. She will argue that UK interventions contributed to the August decline, though gangs have responded by loading more people onto each vessel.

“Our actions to strengthen border security, increase returns and overhaul the broken asylum system are putting much stronger foundations in place so we can fix the chaos we inherited and end costly asylum hotels,” Cooper will say.

The announcement comes as immigration dominates UK politics, with protests outside asylum hotels and anti-immigration demonstrations in London over the weekend leading to nine arrests. Labour is under pressure as small boat arrivals in the first seven months of 2025 hit record levels, with opposition parties accusing the government of losing control of the border.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp described Cooper’s statement as a “distraction tactic,” adding: “The simple fact is this year so far has been the worst in history with 28,000 illegal immigrants crossing the Channel — 47 per cent up year on year.”

The debate has intensified calls within the Conservative party to consider leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, a stance already backed by Reform UK. Former Labour home secretary Jack Straw has argued that leaving the convention would not jeopardize the Good Friday peace agreement, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Cooper is also expected to unveil reforms to the asylum appeals process, including the creation of a new independent body to prioritise cases and proposals to fast-track appeals. She will announce changes to family reunion rules and provide an update on the UK’s “one-in-one-out” returns deal with France.

By Sabina Mammadli