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.

Some 440 migrants were detected crossing the Channel on Tuesday. It means 20,422 arrivals have been recorded since January 1. This is the earliest point in the year at which the 20,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018. Last year, 20,000 arrivals was passed on August 28.

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,