45,756 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in 2022

Ending the arrival of small boats has been a key objective for the government.

A total of 45,756 migrants have risked their lives to cross the English Channel in 2022.

Over the year, the government continued to promise tough measures to stop the flow of small boats and crack down on people smugglers.

This included the Home Office’s highly controversial Rwanda deportation scheme.

Suella Braverman passionately told of her ‘dream’ of seeing the proposal to send migrants to the East African country succeed.

It was ruled lawful by High Court judges but has so far been stalled by legal action from a number of campaign groups.

Ending the arrival of small boats was also a key objective of Ms Braverman’s predecessor Priti Patel, but so far any attempts have been unsuccessful.

Since the Rwanda deal was signed in April, 40,460 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak promised to bring in legislation in 2023 to make it ‘unambiguously clear that if you enter the UK illegally, you should not be able to remain here’.

According to analysis by Sky News, the figure is also up more than 60% on 2021.

The last crossings of 2022 took place on Christmas Day, when 90 people made the journey from France in two boats.

The Ministry of Defence recorded no further crossings for the remaining six days of 2022 amid bad weather conditions.

Home Office officials previously estimated up to 60,000 people could make the journey during the year.

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