11,000 small boat migrants crossed Channel in 2026 with nearly 2,000 arriving in past week

MORE than 11,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats this year, official statistics show. In the last seven days 1,912 people have been picked up by Border Force and taken to Dover as the warm weather continues. It includes 310 people in five dinghies who crossed on Sunday, latest statistics show. The figure for 2026 so far is almost 40 per cent down compared to this time last year. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Keir Starmer has given the British public a toxic leaving present – in the last week alone he’s let in nearly 2,000 illegal...