Small-boat arrivals across the English Channel have already exceeded 20,000 this year, the earliest point on record. UK Home Office statistics show 19,982 people reached British shores between 1 January and 30 June, eclipsing the previous first-half peak of 13,489 set in 2024. After a further 440 crossings on 1 July, the cumulative total rose to 20,422, putting 2025 on course to surpass the 46,000-strong full-year high logged in 2022. The pace of the journeys is accelerating. On 30 June alone, 879 people arrived in 13 boats, and officials calculate that overall traffic in the first six months is 48 percent higher than in the same period last year. The surge has sharpened political pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has promised to curb unauthorised migration, and has intensified debate over the effectiveness of deterrence measures funded jointly by London and Paris. French authorities have responded by adopting far tougher tactics on their northern beaches. On 4 July, officers near Boulogne waded into shallow water and punctured an overloaded inflatable dinghy with knives, forcing its occupants to return to shore. It was the first time police had physically disabled a vessel at sea; similar interventions were repeated in subsequent days. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the move a “significant moment” in bilateral co-operation and said London hoped Paris would extend such operations up to 300 metres from the coastline. Human-rights groups warn the new approach could push migrants to take greater risks and jeopardise lives, while a French police union has questioned whether officers have the training and equipment to operate safely offshore. With summer weather expected to encourage more departures from the French coast, officials on both sides of the Channel face mounting scrutiny over whether the tougher stance can slow, or merely further complicate, the record-setting flow.