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Channel crossings: 781 arrivals on Wednesday, the busiest day of 2026, as Mahmood orders border review

The Home Office recorded 781 arrivals in 10 small boats on Wednesday — the highest single-day total this year — as the Home Secretary ordered an urgent Border Security Command review after two boats landed undetected.

By Sarah Whitfield · · 1 min read

Some 781 people arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel on Wednesday, the highest number recorded in a single day so far this year.

The Home Office said the arrivals came in 10 small boats — an average of about 78 people per boat. The provisional total for 2026 now stands at 18,565, down 42% on the same point last year (32,188) and 26% below this stage in 2024 (25,165).

The figures followed two boats reaching British shores without being intercepted in two days: a dinghy landed at Folkestone on Monday morning, and 21 people were detained after another boat evaded Border Force to reach Samphire Hoe beach near Dover.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has ordered an urgent review by the Border Security Command, called the failures “not acceptable” and said “even one” uncontrolled landing was “one too many”.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell, asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday whether the situation was embarrassing for the Government, replied: “(You) can’t stop everything all of the time. Of course, it’s a concern.”

Before Monday, no small-boat arrival without an escort had been officially recorded since 6 September 2025; the Home Office has kept the data since 2023.

Sources

More on this topic: all UK Broadband stories

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