London: Statistics published by the British government on Thursday revealed that the country recorded its second-highest number of migrants crossing the English Channel in 2025 since data collection began in 2018.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, data released by the Home Office indicated that no small boats were detected on December 31st, suggesting that the total number of people who crossed the English Channel from France during the year reached 41,472. This figure marks the second-highest number after the record of 45,774 people recorded in 2022.

With increasing pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the contentious issue of immigration, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed significantly reducing the protections granted to refugees and ending automatic benefits for asylum seekers.