UK is 'illegal migrant capital of Europe' with 745,000 people in the country without permission
7 October 2024, 08:39
Britain has more illegal migrants than any other European country, with as many as 745,000 people living within British borders without permission, a study has found.
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That would mean that more than one in 100 people in the country are living in the UK illegally, according to the research by Oxford University academics.
That's over double the 300,000 people thought to be living in France without permission, and above even Germany which is thought to have around 700,000.
It comes after 973 people arrived in the UK via small boats on Sunday, the highest daily number this year.
The arrivals brings the total for the year to 26,612 compared to 25,330 by the same date last year and 33,611 in 2022, with 1,368 having made the journey on Friday and Saturday combined, according to Home Office figures.
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The crossings happened on the same day a two-year-old boy, a woman and two men died in two incidents off the coast of France.
The Conservatives have warned that the scrapping of the Rwanda plan removed a deterrent to people thinking of making the dangerous crossing into the UK.
Labour have said that they will invest in border control to "smash" the people-smuggling gangs who organise the crossings.
Tory leadership contenders James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick both called for the government to do more.
Pollster says Labour must develop clear small boats strategy to hold off Reform
Mr Cleverly, the shadow Home Secretary, said: “We need to deter people from coming here illegally and to root them out of our economy when they are here.”
Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister, said: “This is the highest number crossing the Channel in a single day for years.
"Sir Keir needs to rip up his dangerous so-called ‘plan’ on small boats. Our country’s security is at stake.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged an immediate £75 million investment in border security, with funding made available to the National Crime Agency to pay for covert operation equipment to disrupt people smugglers.
The Home Office said this would support the delivery of criminal investigations and disruption operations in the UK, across Europe and in upstream countries.
Caller tells Shelagh Brits overlook economic contribution of migrants
This week, the UK and other G7 nations agreed an anti-smuggling action plan designed to boost co-operation on the issue following talks in Italy.
The Home Office said this included joint investigations and intelligence-sharing in a bid to target criminal smuggling routes.
The action plan also detailed "working collaboratively" with social media companies to monitor the internet and different platforms to prevent them being used to enable migrant smuggling and people trafficking.
This included calling on social media companies "to do more to respond to online content that advertises migrant smuggling services".
