During Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Since I became Prime Minister, small boat crossings are down by a third.”
This is correct when looking at small boat arrivals in 2023 compared to the previous calendar year, but the picture in 2024 so far appears quite different.
With an election approaching and small boats likely to feature prominently in the campaign, Full Fact has analysed the relevant data to tell a fuller story.
Government figures show in 2023 a total of 29,437 people arrived in the UK by small boat crossing, compared to 45,774 in 2022—a decrease of 36 per cent.
However, provisional figures show that over the first quarter of 2024 5,435 people arrived by small boat, compared to 3,793 in the first quarter of 2023—an increase of 43 per cent.
5,435 is also the highest number of small boat arrivals seen in the first three months of any year since data began being published in 2018.
The government also publishes daily data on small boat crossings. These figures show that since the start of the year there have been a total of 8,790 small boat arrivals (as of 7 May).
This is an increase of 34 per cent compared to the same period in 2023, and approximately 13 per cent higher than the same period in 2022. It’s worth noting that daily figures may be revised at a later date.
Using official statistics without appropriate context and caveats can damage public trust in both official information and politicians. MPs should use official information transparently and with all relevant context and caveats when a claim is first made, and quickly rectify oversights when they occur.
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