More than 800 people cross Channel in dinghies, breaking record for December

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Joe CoughlanDecember 21, 2025 at 08:39 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

More than 800 people crossed the English Channel to the UK in small boats on Saturday, setting a new daily record for December. The crossings, originating from northern France, occurred despite December typically being a quieter month due to harsh weather conditions. The total number of crossings this year has now reached 41,455, approaching the record of 45,755 in 2022. French authorities rescued 151 people over the weekend and returned them to France. The UK government stated it is addressing the root causes of the crossings and working with neighboring countries, while France indicated plans to halt small boats at sea. Germany recently passed a law to increase penalties for people smugglers attempting to bring individuals to the UK.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Dover 40% Home Office ×250% UK government ×260% France ×370% Keir Starmer 80%

Keywords

channel crossings 100% small boats 90% migration crisis 70% record 60% people smugglers 50% home office 50% border force 40% northern france 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

France

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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channel crossings small boats migration crisis record people smugglers home office border force northern france

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