LONDON: Over 700 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday as crossings resumed after a four-week pause, the interior ministry said on Sunday.

Some 11 boats carrying 737 people made the perilous crossing on December 13, ministry figures showed, bringing the total number of people to arrive on England’s southern coast by small boat this year to 40,029.

The recent pause in crossings — believed to be due to poor weather conditions — is the longest in seven years.

Before the weekend, no vessels had reached the southern English coast from northern France for 28 days, according to interior ministry figures.

The crossings, which have become a major political issue, are helping fuel the popularity of Reform, a political party led by anti-immigration firebrand Nigel Farage.

Reform has led Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party by double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of this year.

This year looks likely to see the second-highest annual number of migrants arriving in small boats since data was first reported in 2018.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2025