More migrants have come to Britain by the illegal boat route since the crisis began than there are serving sailors, soldiers, and airmen in the whole British Armed Forces, analysis states.
Over 181,326 migrants are known to have come to the United Kingdom by what is euphemistically called the small boats route since December 2018, analysis of government figures of those intercepted by Migration Watch says. Remarkably, that figure is now higher than all those serving in the British Armed Forces, which continues to dwindle and per Migration Watch’s reckoning now stands at 180,779 personnel.
Pertinently to this comparison, the think tank in a statement given to Breitbart News emphasises that migrant data shows the vast majority of migrant arrivals by human trafficker’s boats are “military age men” aged 18 to 39. This huge arrival of unvetted migrant males presents a potentially major threat to national security, they said.
Alp Mehmet, Chairman of Migration Watch, said of these findings: “Military age men are pouring into Britain across the Channel. Enforcing a border is the most basic responsibility of a government, but Keir Starmer has failed to do even that. Illegal Channel crossing are now a major political crisis, and pose a real and present threat to our national security.”
According to a recent Parliamentary report, of the present strength of the British Armed forces, 77 per cent are full time service personnel, with an additional 17 per cent in the volunteer reserves. The largest force is the British Army, with around 82,000 soldiers of all ranks and trades. This was followed by the senior service, the Royal Navy at 33,000, and the Royal Air Force at 32,000.
The figures of arrivals over several years as illustrated by Migration Watch’s research is especially relevant given Britain’s long experience with illegal migrants and the reality that, functionally, none are ever deported. As previously reported:
…as noted by Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, almost everyone who comes to the United Kingdom by smuggler boat subsequently remains in the country, with staggeringly few forced to leave. Some 68 per cent have asylum applications granted and as of 2024 only three per cent had ever been returned home.
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