LONDON (Reuters) -Nearly 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats so far in 2025, a record high for the first six months of the year, adding pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the government works to reduce the numbers.

A total of 20,422 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, with 440 arriving on Tuesday, the latest Home Office figures show.

A record number of people have crossed the Channel in small boats in the first six months of this year, new figures show – despite Sir Keir Starmer ’s pledge to “smash the gangs”. Just days before the prime minister marks one year in office,