Small-boat arrivals: the verified picture
Home Office records begin in 2018. The table below uses published calendar-year figures. The 2026 total changes frequently, so this page links to live official data rather than freezing a number that will soon be wrong.
Recorded small-boat arrivals across the eight completed calendar years.
Recorded arrivals in 2022, the highest completed calendar year in the official series.
Recorded arrivals in 2025, 13% higher than 2024.
| Year | Recorded arrivals | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 299 | Beginning of the official series |
| 2019 | 1,843 | Rapid increase from a low base |
| 2020 | 8,462 | Small boats became a major detected route |
| 2021 | 28,526 | More than three times the 2020 total |
| 2022 | 45,755 | Highest completed calendar year |
| 2023 | 29,437 | Fall from the 2022 peak |
| 2024 | 36,816 | Increase on 2023 |
| 2025 | 41,472 | Second-highest completed year |
| 2026 | Live official total | Updated regularly by the Home Office |
Deaths, rescues and danger in the English Channel
Small-boat crossings are dangerous for the people travelling in overcrowded craft and for the rescue crews, police, Border Force personnel and others responding to emergencies at sea. Organised crime groups have increasingly loaded more people onto individual boats, increasing the consequences when a vessel becomes disabled, overcrowded, swamped or people enter the water.
The National Crime Agency records 78 migrant fatalities in the English Channel in 2024.
The NCA records 27 migrant fatalities in 2025, substantially fewer than in 2024.
The Cranston Inquiry examined the single Channel incident in which more than 30 people died attempting the crossing.
The NCA says average occupancy of boats reaching the UK increased from 53 people per boat in 2024 to 62 in 2025. It also describes incidents in which people entering boats in the water caused panic, crushing or drowning. These figures show why the route is treated as both a border-security issue and a serious life-safety problem.
National Crime Agency threat assessment
Official assessment covering organised immigration crime, boat occupancy and 2024–2025 Channel fatalities.
NCA evidence →Cranston Inquiry
Independent inquiry into the fatal 23–24 November 2021 Channel crossing and lessons for future rescue operations.
Read the inquiry →What UK law says about entry without permission
The legal position is more precise than saying that every person who arrives in a small boat is automatically guilty of the same criminal offence. Section 24 of the Immigration Act 1971, as amended by the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and later legislation, contains offences for knowingly entering the UK without required leave and for knowingly arriving without required entry clearance.
The Crown Prosecution Service lists entering without leave and arriving without entry clearance among immigration offences. However, prosecution is not automatic in every case. Home Office guidance says many irregular-entry cases are dealt with administratively unless aggravating or particularly serious factors make prosecution appropriate. A person may also make an asylum claim after arrival, and an asylum claim has to be considered under the applicable UK legal framework. A successful asylum claim can result in permission to remain; a refused claim may be subject to appeal rights and, once all relevant rights are exhausted, removal where lawful and practicable.
Immigration Act 1971 — section 24
The current statutory offences covering illegal entry, arrival without required entry clearance and related conduct.
Read the law →CPS immigration prosecution guidance
Explains commonly prosecuted immigration offences, evidential requirements and prosecution principles.
CPS guidance →Home Office irregular-entry guidance
Explains the distinction between criminal offences and administrative immigration action.
Home Office guidance →Home Office asylum statistics
Official data on claims, decisions, grants, refusals, support and accommodation.
Official statistics →Public cost and accommodation
The cost of the asylum system is wider than small-boat arrivals alone, so figures should not be described as the direct cost of Channel crossings unless the source specifically measures that. Current official material nevertheless shows substantial public spending on asylum support and accommodation.
Annual asylum accommodation and support costs cited by the Home Office in June 2026.
Estimated average cost per person per night in hotel accommodation, compared with £23.25 in dispersal accommodation.
Estimated ten-year cost of the Home Office’s major asylum accommodation contracts, compared with an original £4.5bn estimate.
At the end of March 2026, 97,519 people were receiving asylum support, including 20,885 people in hotel accommodation. These totals include people who entered the asylum system by different routes and should not be presented as a count of small-boat arrivals.
Home Office support and unit costs
Government figures →National Audit Office contracts report
NAO report →Where people are coming from
In the year ending March 2026, the five most common nationalities among small-boat arrivals were Eritrean, Afghan, Sudanese, Iranian and Somali. Together they accounted for more than three-fifths of arrivals. Nationality does not determine whether an asylum claim will succeed.
Asylum claims and the wider system
People receiving asylum support at the end of March 2026.
People in hotel accommodation at the end of March 2026.
Share of detected unauthorised-route arrivals accounted for by small boats in the year ending March 2026.
What the system costs
Costs vary depending on the accounting period and what is included. Use the original reports below rather than combining figures from different years as though they describe the same thing.
Estimated average cost per person per night in a hotel, compared with £23.25 in dispersal accommodation.
Government-stated asylum-support spending in the previous year, reported in March 2026.
National Audit Office estimate for the ten-year total cost of major asylum accommodation contracts, up from an original £4.5bn estimate.
Hotels and accommodation locations
Hotel numbers change as sites open and close. Around 200 hotels were reported in use in late 2025, while 20,885 people were in hotel accommodation at the end of March 2026. More than 400 hotels were in use at the autumn 2023 peak.
Crime, offending and community safety
Crimes should be reported, investigated and prosecuted regardless of a suspect’s nationality or immigration status. At the same time, the UK does not publish a complete national dataset linking every recorded crime to whether a person arrived by small boat or was living in asylum accommodation. A collection of news stories is not a crime rate and cannot show how common offending is within a population.
Verified reporting links
These searches help readers find current reporting, court outcomes and official statements without this page repeating unproven allegations.
How to present a case fairly
- Use “charged” only where a charge has been confirmed.
- Use “convicted” only after a conviction.
- Name the court, date and source.
- Do not imply collective guilt.
- Correct or remove reports when proceedings change.
Why there is no “every crime over ten years” list here
No reliable official database provides that category, media archives are incomplete, the same incident is often reported multiple times, and many early reports do not reflect later acquittals, discontinued cases or corrected facts. Publishing an unverified mass list would risk misinformation and defamation.
Hansard, committees and official scrutiny
What this campaign calls for
1. Break the gangs
Target organisers, money flows, boat and engine supply chains, online advertising and facilitation networks.
2. Decide cases faster
Properly resourced, lawful decisions with effective identity, security and credibility checks.
3. Remove where lawful
Prompt return after final refusal, subject to UK law, international obligations and judicial oversight.
4. End costly hotel reliance
Publish costs, contract performance and closure plans while protecting exact operational security details.
5. Protect communities
Advance notice to councils, visible policing plans, safeguarding, complaint routes and transparent incident reporting.
6. Publish honest data
Monthly arrivals, decisions, grants, refusals, appeals, removals, hotel use and cost data in reusable formats.
Take peaceful, democratic action
Ask your MP for measurable answers rather than slogans.
- How many small-boat arrivals have been granted, refused, appealed and removed?
- What is the current hotel count and total annual accommodation cost?
- How many smuggling organisers, facilitators and supply-chain offenders were convicted?
- What is the average time from claim to final decision and, where refused, to removal?
- What data will be published locally so councils can plan safely and transparently?
Core evidence library
Original page data checked: 29 July 2026. Additional law, fatalities, cost and petition information checked: 28 September 2026. Live totals, hotel use and petition status can change, so review this page at least monthly.
Purpose of this hub
Britain and Ireland have been profoundly shaped by Christianity. Churches, monasteries, schools, charities, legal traditions, public ceremonies, festivals, literature and ideas of duty and service have influenced national life for centuries.
This hub does not claim that every historic law or cultural practice came solely from Christianity. British and Irish culture also developed through Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Norman, Roman, Enlightenment, industrial, democratic and modern secular influences.
It also does not hold every member of a religion responsible for the conduct of extremists, criminals, foreign governments or unrepresentative religious organisations.
Christianity and our national heritage
Christianity has shaped public institutions, architecture, education, welfare, language, music, ceremonies and concepts of public duty across the British Isles.
Churches and sacred buildings
Parish churches, chapels, cathedrals, abbeys and monasteries form part of the physical history of towns, cities and rural communities.
Education and literacy
Religious institutions played major roles in developing schools, universities, libraries, scholarship and written traditions.
Charity and public service
Christian organisations have supported hospitals, hospices, food banks, homelessness services, overseas aid and family assistance.
National celebrations
Christmas, Easter, harvest festivals, remembrance services, weddings, funerals and civic ceremonies remain part of public and family life.
Language, music and art
Hymns, choral music, biblical expressions, religious paintings, carvings, poetry and literature are woven into national culture.
Public institutions
Christianity remains visible in coronations, parliamentary tradition, national remembrance and the constitutional position of established churches.
The nations and their Christian traditions
England
England’s heritage includes the Church of England, parish churches, cathedrals, monastic foundations, Christian schools, royal ceremonies and Anglican traditions.
- Church of England as the established church.
- The monarch’s constitutional relationship with the Church.
- Canterbury and York as historic ecclesiastical centres.
- Christian worship and education within many schools.
- Cathedrals and churches as national heritage assets.
Scotland
Scotland has important Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal and other Christian traditions. The Church of Scotland is recognised as the national church but is institutionally independent from the state.
- Presbyterian history and the Scottish Reformation.
- Church of Scotland parish traditions.
- Long-established Roman Catholic communities.
- Distinct Episcopal and Free Church traditions.
- Strong Christian influence on education and community work.
Wales
Welsh Christianity includes Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic and independent chapel traditions. Christianity also contributed significantly to Welsh-language literacy, hymn singing and community life.
- Welsh chapels and Nonconformist traditions.
- Welsh-language preaching and hymn writing.
- The Church in Wales, disestablished in 1920.
- Christian involvement in education and social reform.
- Historic pilgrimage and monastic sites.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has strong Protestant, Presbyterian, Church of Ireland, Methodist and Roman Catholic traditions. Religious identity has also been connected to political and community divisions, making mutual respect particularly important.
- Presbyterian and Protestant heritage.
- Roman Catholic parishes and institutions.
- Church of Ireland and Methodist traditions.
- Peacebuilding and reconciliation work.
- Need to resist renewed sectarian division.
Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland is a separate sovereign country. Christianity—particularly Roman Catholicism—has had a major influence on Irish culture, education, public life and national identity.
Modern Ireland is increasingly religiously diverse and secular. Historical institutional abuse and failures must also be acknowledged alongside Christianity’s cultural and charitable contribution.
Shared but distinct heritage
The nations share many Christian traditions, but each has its own history, language, denominations, patron saints, local customs and constitutional arrangements.
- Saint George — England
- Saint Andrew — Scotland
- Saint David — Wales
- Saint Patrick — Ireland
Christian morals and shared civic values
Many Christian principles overlap with values also found in Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hindu traditions, humanism and secular democratic thought. These values can form common ground without requiring everyone to hold the same theology.
Human dignity
Every person should be treated as having inherent worth.
Compassion
Support the sick, poor, vulnerable, elderly and isolated.
Truth and honesty
Public institutions and individuals should act with integrity.
Justice
Laws should be applied impartially and protect victims.
Responsibility
Rights must be accompanied by duties toward other people.
Forgiveness and restoration
Wrongdoing should be confronted while allowing reform.
Family and care
Children and dependent adults require protection and stability.
Service
Leadership should be understood as service, not entitlement.
Freedom of conscience
Belief cannot be genuine when imposed through threats or force.
What the official census information shows
England and Wales
In the 2021 Census, 46.2% of the population of England and Wales described themselves as Christian. Christianity remained the largest recorded religion, although the percentage had fallen from 59.3% in 2011.
Scotland
Scotland’s 2022 Census recorded “no religion” as the largest response, at 51.1%. Scotland nevertheless retains extensive Christian heritage, institutions and communities.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s 2021 Census recorded 1,516,144 people in the broad Christian category and 10,870 in the Muslim category.
Changing identities
Christian identification has declined while the number of people reporting no religion and the population belonging to several minority religions have increased.
This creates a need for honest discussion about heritage, freedom of religion, integration and common civic expectations.
How other religions fit into national life
Religious freedom allows people to practise Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and other beliefs—or no religion. Successful integration does not require abandoning faith. It requires respecting the rights of others and accepting the authority of civil law.
Positive contribution
People from many religious communities contribute through:
- Employment, businesses and professional services.
- Military, police, NHS and public-service careers.
- Charities, food banks and homelessness support.
- Neighbourhood and interfaith projects.
- Culture, food, sport, music and the arts.
- Care for elderly, disabled and vulnerable people.
Requirements for successful integration
- Respect the law and democratic institutions.
- Recognise equal legal rights for women and men.
- Protect children from abuse, coercion and exploitation.
- Respect freedom to change or leave a religion.
- Reject religious and racial hatred.
- Use peaceful democratic methods to seek change.
- Respect national history and cultural traditions.
- Engage with people outside one’s immediate community.
Islam, Muslims and the need for accurate language
What must be recognised
- Many British Muslims were born and educated in Britain.
- Muslims serve in public services and the armed forces.
- Muslims are not collectively responsible for terrorism.
- Muslims can also be victims of extremism and coercion.
- Muslim reformers and women’s-rights advocates must be heard.
What may properly be challenged
- Islamist extremism and support for terrorist organisations.
- Threats against people who leave or criticise a religion.
- Attempts to silence lawful speech through intimidation.
- Religious practices that deny women equal legal protection.
- Forced marriage and honour-based abuse.
- Unofficial rules being presented as superior to civil law.
- Segregation that prevents wider social participation.
These concerns should be investigated using evidence about particular organisations, ideologies, incidents and offenders—not assumptions about every Muslim or every migrant from a Muslim-majority country.
One civil law for everyone
A religion may guide a person’s private beliefs and voluntary conduct. It cannot override criminal law, family law, safeguarding duties, employment protections or the lawful orders of courts.
| Area | Permitted | Not permitted |
|---|---|---|
| Religious worship | Prayer, services, festivals and voluntary observance. | Threatening or coercing someone into participation. |
| Religious advice | Voluntary pastoral, spiritual or theological guidance. | Misrepresenting religious advice as binding state law. |
| Marriage | Religious ceremonies that satisfy applicable legal requirements. | Forced marriage, sham marriage or marriage without consent. |
| Dispute resolution | Voluntary mediation that remains within the law. | Coercive hearings or decisions overriding court rights. |
| Religious dress | Personal religious clothing, subject to lawful requirements. | Forcing another person to dress in a particular way. |
| Speech and criticism | Peaceful preaching, debate, criticism and disagreement. | Threats, harassment, incitement or support for terrorism. |
| Family life | Passing faith and traditions to children lawfully. | Abuse, FGM, forced marriage or denial of safeguarding. |
Equality Act 2010
Protects people against unlawful discrimination because of religion or belief, alongside other protected characteristics.
Human Rights Act 1998
Includes freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Rights may be subject to lawful limitations needed to protect public safety, order, health, morals and other people’s rights.
Documented integration and safeguarding concerns
It is legitimate to examine practices that conflict with individual liberty, safeguarding or domestic law. Each issue should be described accurately and should not be attributed automatically to every member of a religion, nationality or ethnic group.
Forced marriage
Forced marriage occurs when one or both people do not consent and pressure or abuse is used. It is different from a voluntary arranged marriage.
Honour-based abuse
Honour-based abuse may involve threats, violence, coercion, surveillance, imprisonment, forced marriage or other abuse intended to protect perceived family or community “honour”.
Female genital mutilation
FGM is illegal and is a form of child abuse and violence against women and girls. Cultural or religious claims do not provide a lawful defence.
Religious-only marriages
A religious ceremony may not always create a legally recognised marriage. This can leave a person—often a woman—without the protections they believed they had following separation.
Sharia councils
Sharia councils provide religious advice and religious divorce services. They are not courts and their decisions cannot override the law of England and Wales.
The independent government review identified concerns including discriminatory practices, poor practice and vulnerable women being encouraged to use councils rather than civil courts.
Extremism and terrorism
Islamist terrorism remains a national-security concern. Far-right, Northern Ireland-related and other forms of terrorism must also be confronted according to evidence and risk.
Intimidation and freedom of expression
Threats against teachers, writers, campaigners, former Muslims, religious minorities or others exercising lawful speech must be investigated and prosecuted where criminal thresholds are met.
Social segregation
Communities can become isolated where people rarely attend the same schools, workplaces, public events or community spaces. Segregation may be influenced by housing, poverty, language, discrimination, religious leadership and political failures.
Disputes over cultural and institutional change
Public concerns are sometimes raised about institutions changing language, ceremonies, food arrangements, school policies or public events. Each claim should be checked before publication.
| Issue | Reasonable accommodation | When concern may be justified |
|---|---|---|
| Religious food | Providing several clearly labelled choices. | Removing all alternatives without consultation or concealing slaughter and sourcing information. |
| Christmas and Easter | Including other celebrations while retaining Christian ones. | Removing Christian names or events because officials incorrectly assume they are unlawful or offensive. |
| School worship | Following the law and allowing lawful withdrawal rights. | Ignoring legal obligations or failing to teach national religious and cultural history accurately. |
| Dress and uniforms | Allowing proportionate religious variations. | When safety, identification, safeguarding or operational requirements are seriously affected. |
| Sex-separated provision | Limited privacy arrangements where lawful and necessary. | Discrimination, unequal services or pressure imposed because of religious expectations. |
| Public statues and symbols | Providing accurate historical explanation and context. | Removal without transparent evidence, consultation or democratic accountability. |
A fair test for religious and cultural accommodation
1. Is it voluntary?
No person should be pressured or threatened into compliance.
2. Is it lawful?
Accommodation cannot override criminal or safeguarding law.
3. Is it equal?
Women, men, children and minorities must receive equal protection.
4. Is it proportionate?
The effect on other people and public services must be considered.
5. Is it transparent?
Public bodies should explain decisions, costs and evidence.
6. Is the rule consistent?
The same basic standard should apply across all religions.
Proposals for heritage, integration and cohesion
Protect Christian heritage
- Preserve churches, chapels, memorials and historic sites.
- Teach Christian influence on history and culture accurately.
- Retain the names Christmas and Easter in public communication.
- Support access to historic religious buildings.
- Publish funding decisions affecting heritage assets.
- Do not remove symbols without consultation and evidence.
Support successful integration
- Accessible English-language education.
- Teaching about law, democracy and civic responsibility.
- Mixed community, sport and youth activities.
- Support for women isolated through language or coercion.
- Opportunities for employment and volunteering.
- Community leadership that reaches beyond one faith group.
Protect people from coercion
- Proper recording of forced marriage and honour-based abuse.
- Specialist support independent of family or religious leaders.
- Secure help for people leaving controlling religious groups.
- Enforcement against FGM and child abuse.
- Clear explanations of legal marriage requirements.
- Safeguarding training based on evidence, not stereotypes.
Improve transparency
- Publish public funding given to religious organisations.
- Disclose safeguarding concerns and regulatory findings.
- Identify organisations linked to extremist ideologies.
- Publish equality and community-impact assessments.
- Record the evidence behind institutional policy changes.
- Provide routes for residents to challenge decisions.
Right First Time UK campaign principles
Official information and evidence library
Use the following primary and official sources when expanding this hub.
Application of Sharia law in England and Wales
Independent government reviewLast reviewed: August 2026. Census years differ between jurisdictions: England, Wales and Northern Ireland used the 2021 Census; Scotland used the 2022 Census. The Republic of Ireland has its own laws, government and census system.