London (AFP) — Nearly 37,000 migrants have arrived in the UK on small boats so far this year, figures showed on Thursday, surpassing the full-year total for 2024, as the government faced fresh pressure over its attempts to stop the crossings.

A total of 36,954 undocumented migrants have crossed the Channel from northern France to England’s southern coast so far this year, compared with 36,816 for the whole of last year, the interior ministry figures showed.

The numbers will be a massive headache for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had promised to “smash the gangs” of people smugglers charging migrants huge sums for the dangerous journey.

The latest figures mean 2025 is set to have the second-highest number of small boat crossings, after the record was set in 2022 when more than

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