Number of migrants crammed onto small boats soars under Labour with 42ft mega dinghy

The single crossing is estimated to have generated around £300,000 for the traffickers, based on typical fees of £2,000 per migrant. 06:55, Thu, Jul 30, 2026 Updated: 06:58, Thu, Jul 30, 2026 The sight of overcrowded dinghies crossing the English Channel is now all too familiar (Image: CPS/PA Wire)The average number of people cramming into vessels trying to cross the English Channel has soared to nearly 66 under Labour, with record 165 migrants packed onto a 42ft “mega dinghy” longer than a double-decker bus last week. Home Office figures reveal the average occupancy has more than doubled from 41 in the peak year of 2022 and rocketed from fewer than seven when the crisis began in 2018.The all-time single-boat record was broken twice this month alone, climbing from 125 last September to 128 on July 10 before the 165-strong vessel smashed it again. The mammoth inflatable — likely cobbled together in a backstreet Chinese workshop — was intercepted and towed into Dover last Thursday. Shocking images of the overcrowded craft sparked alarm among border officials and maritime experts. A 19-year-old Sudanese man, Chan Mathok Atak, appeared before Margate magistrates’ court charged with end...