The Prime Minister today made a statement on the progress since December and his message is clear – our plan to stop the boats is working.
- Small boat arrivals to the UK are down by 20 per cent.
- Our French deal prevented 33,000 illegal crossings last year, 40 per cent more than the year before.
- Albanian arrivals are down 90 per cent and their asylum grant rate including withdrawals is now two per cent.
- We have removed 1,800 Albanian illegal migrants and foreign criminals.
- We have increased the number of illegal working raids by more than 50 per cent, and arrests have more than doubled.
- The legacy asylum backlog is down almost a fifth since December – on track to deliver our target.
This is the first time since the small boats crossings phenomenon began that arrivals in the first half of the year have fallen compared to the year before. Whilst illegal immigration is a global phenomenon, progress to combat it is not. As small boat crossings fall, the number of illegal migrants entering Europe has risen by 30 per cent year on year. The Government is using every tool at its disposal to stop the boats– the UK's partnership with France stopped 33,000 crossings last year, 40 per cent more than the year before, and to date this year has prevented 8,635 people from reaching the UK.
Commenting on today's announcements, Mims Davies MP, said:
Illegal migration puts too much pressure on our public services and causes delays to handling genuine asylum claims - which is why stopping the boats is one of the Prime Minister’s top priorities.
That's why I am pleased to read that small boat arrivals are down 20 per cent year on year and we have prevented 33,000 illegal crossings.
Nevertheless, these figures show our tough stance on deportation and illegal migration will further deter people from making the dangerous crossing as we stop the boats.