Migrants give thumbs up from small boats crossing the Channel – as it is revealed number to make dangerous trip since crisis began has passed landmark 100,000

•  The Illegal Migration Act will prevent people from claiming unauthorised asylum

The number of people crossing the English Channel on small boats in the last five-and-a-half years could have passed 100,000 following fresh arrivals of migrants on lifeboats on Thursday.

Analysis of Government figures since current records began on January 1 2018 showed that, as of Tuesday, 99,960 people have arrived in the UK after making the journey.

RNLI lifeboats were spotted bringing dozens to shore on Thursday, meaning it is likely the milestone has been reached.

An eyewitness said there appeared to be more than 40 people brought ashore on board two lifeboats, which had attended a dinghy out in the Channel.

They included women and children, with one woman carrying a small child in her arms.

A migrant dinghy containing dozens of migrants giving the thumbs up on a chaotic day for border officials 

A RNLI lifeboat brings in a group of migrants into Dover Port that were found crossing the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy today

Migrants wave to the cameras they approach British shores

The RNLI had a busy morning escorting boat loads of migrants to the shore

Data on the number of migrants detected crossing the English Channel in small boats to enter the UK each day is published by the Home Office and Border Force.

The figures are published the day after and in its latest update on Thursday, the data shows that on Wednesday, zero people were detected.

What are the numbers?

How many have made the crossing per boat?

The average number of people on each boat was seven in 2018, 11 in 2019 and 13 in 2020.

This number leapt to 41 people in 2022 

So far in 2023 the average is running at 46 per boat

Who has arrived?

There is a varied mix of nationalities arriving on the shores.

Provisional data for January to July 2023 suggests the number of Albanians arriving has dropped back to just 3% of arrivals, Afghans remain at 20%. People of Turkish (10%) and Indian nationality (7%) are almost level with Iranians (11%) and Iraqis (9%).

What age and sex are those who are arriving?

Males accounted for 88% of small boat arrivals in the first three months of 2023.

13% of all arrivals in January to March this year were males under the age of 18. 32% were males aged 18-24.

How many have applied for asylum?

 According to Home Office data, a total of 90% of migrants claimed asylum or were recorded as dependent on an application in the year to March.

Small boat arrivals accounted for 44% of the total number of people who claimed asylum in the same period.

Since the beginning of January 2023 to August 9, figures show 15,071 people crossed the Channel.

Tory Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson said he is “very angry” about the 100,000 figure and that “if things don’t go to plan”, the Government may have to take “drastic measures” and leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

He told GB News: “I’m very angry about the number. Again, very angry, as you know, every single day when I see these illegal migrants and let’s be clear on what they are.

“They’re illegal migrants. They’re not genuine asylum seekers … look, it’s been very, very difficult for the Government. I’ve been banging out about it since I got elected.”

On the ECHR, he said he has always been “an advocate of leaving”, adding: “You know, we’re a team. If things don’t work, if things don’t go to plan, then we’ve got to take drastic measures, and I would fully support the Government in doing that.”

It comes just weeks after sweeping asylum reforms became law and while the Government fends off legal challenges in the courts over its Rwanda deal and decisions to house migrants on former military sites in Essex and Lincolnshire.

Meanwhile, asylum seekers were finally moved onto the Bibby Stockholm barge this week on the Dorset coast after the plans were beset by delays.

The much-criticised Illegal Migration Act, central to the Prime Minister’s pledge to “stop the boats” crossing the Channel, will prevent people from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.

Officials are still working on when the legislation will come into force, and it is anticipated elements of the new laws may be implemented in stages over the coming months.

A series of Home Office announcements were also made this week, such as a crackdown on immigration lawyers helping migrants “exploit” the system, and a new partnership with Turkey to disrupt people-smuggling gangs.

An eyewitness said there appeared to be more than 40 people brought ashore on board two lifeboats, which had attended a dinghy out in the Channel

The migrants were pictured packed into a small dinghy approaching the famous white cliffs of Dover

The Illegal Migration Act will prevent people from claiming unauthorised asylum in the country

Moreover, talk of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is once again dividing the Conservative Party, after immigration minister Robert Jenrick hinted on Wednesday that the Government could pull out of the agreement.

Newspaper reports suggest that at least eight Cabinet ministers are among the senior Tories prepared to put leaving the ECHR at the heart of the Conservatives’ next election campaign if deportation flights are blocked by the courts.

The Daily Telegraph reported that up to a third of the Cabinet will join other Conservative MPs in backing the move, in a bid to tackle small boats crossing

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