New Strategies in Play: UK Government’s Fresh Approach to Tackling Record Small Boat Crossings Amid Migration Challenges

In 2024, over 15,000 small boat crossings recorded

This announcement follows the new prime minister's strategy reveal on handling illegal migration, which occurred a day after Labour abolished the Conservative's Rwanda initiative.

Political journalist @NifS

Friday, July 19, 2024, 11:

The government has verified that over 15,000 individuals have entered the UK this year through small boat crossings across the Channel.

On Thursday, 317 individuals embarked on a perilous trip aboard six vessels, pushing the total for 2024 up to 15,076.

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The count surpasses the total from the corresponding date in 2023, which stood at 14,071.

However, it remains below the peak seen in 2022, when the number had climbed to 15,314 by the same point in time.

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The incident follows the death of an individual who perished when their overcrowded boat, carrying 86 passengers, encountered difficulties in the Channel overnight.

The new administration has recently outlined its strategies for addressing unauthorized immigration.

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During his address at the European Political Community (EPC) summit yesterday evening, Sir Keir Starmer unveiled his strategy to halt migration at its origin by investing £84 million in health and education programs in Africa and the Middle East, aiming to deter individuals from leaving their home countries initially.

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The prime minister further announced an enhancement of collaborative efforts with European allies to address the problem, including boosting the UK's involvement in Europol, establishing new agreements with Slovenia and Slovakia to combat organized crime, and pledging to exchange more intelligence to dismantle criminal gangs.

The new Labour administration has adopted a starkly different strategy compared to the former Conservative government's Rwanda deportation policy, which was abandoned following Labour's ascent to power a fortnight ago.

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A spokesperson from the Home Office stated: "It is a collective desire to halt the perilous journeys by small boats that compromise our border safety and endanger lives."

"The fresh administration is implementing measures to enhance national border defenses by establishing a new Border Security Command. This entity will consolidate our intelligence and enforcement bodies, arming them with advanced counter-terrorism abilities and deploying numerous staff both within the UK and internationally, with the goal of dismantling the lucrative criminal networks that profit immensely from smuggling operations."

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