Britain

Almost 30,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to reach England from continental Europe in 2023 – a significant decrease compared to the previous year. The new figure, 29,437, comes from the British Government. But illegal arrivals on the southeast coast of England remain a major political problem for the Conservative government in London. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised that the boats would be stopped in 2023. That was one of his key promises to the electorate, and the continued high numbers could be a serious problem for him in the new year, which will be marked by election campaigning. Sunak would be able to point out that the number of migrants coming to Britain has been reduced by 36 per cent in 2023. In 2022, a record 45,000 migrants arrived. The Sunak government has placed great emphasis on the fact that it has reached a £480 million deal with France to ensure greater efforts to stop migrant boats, and that this agreement is now starting to work as intended. It means, among other things, that some migrants – including Albanians – are very quickly returned to their own country. /ritzau/AFP/