LONDON - More than 4,600 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats so far in 2024, a record total for the first three months of the year and giving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a fresh political headache.

Provisional data from the Home Office or interior ministry on March 27 showed that 4,644 people were detected arriving across the Channel on small boats like inflatable dinghies up to March 26.

That compares with 3,770 for the same period in 2023 and 4,162 for 2022, the previous record high.

Mr Sunak is hoping his flagship scheme to deport those arriving in Britain without permission to Rwanda will deter people from making the dangerous cross-Channel crossings. Legislation that aims to get that plan up and running after a series of legal setbacks is due back in parliament in April.

A Home Office spokesperson last week said: “The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible.

“We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys.”

Overall annual numbers fell 36 per cent in 2023 from 2022’s record total, which led Mr Sunak to claim that the government was beginning to have success in “stopping the boats” – a key priority for him ahead of an election expected later in 2024.

But the latest increase will add to pressure on Mr Sunak, whose Conservatives are well behind the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls – with immigration a major concern for some voters.

“Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Rishi Sunak keeps on telling the British people that small boat arrivals are coming down and his promise to stop the boats remains on track,” said Labour immigration spokesman Stephen Kinnock. REUTERS