Facts

During Prime Minister’s Questions on 21 June, Rishi Sunak stated that “we are…stopping the boats”. 

He has made this claim before on his Twitter. 

In 2022, a record total of 45,755 migrants crossed the Channel, the highest number since figures began to be collected in 2018.

As at 9 July 2023, 12,722 had crossed in 2023. That figure includes 3,824 in June, the highest number for any June on record.

Verdict

The figures do show that the rate of arrivals of migrants into the UK has slowed during 2023. However, Sunak was misleading MPs when he said that he was “stopping the boats”.  According to the Ministerial Code,  “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.  Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister.” 

We emailed Rishi Sunak’s office and Number 10 offering him the chance to respond. The email was received, but no reply.