More than 1,000 people are believed to have crossed the English Channel on Saturday, marking the largest single-day total since May, when more than 1,195 arrivals were recorded.

The surge brings the total number of crossings so far this year to over 30,000. It comes at a politically sensitive moment for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose government has faced mounting pressure over how to manage asylum and migration.

In recent weeks, Starmer confirmed plans to close down migrant hotels and move people into former military barracks — a policy first introduced under the Conservatives. Two such sites, at MDP Wethersfield in Essex and Napier Barracks in Folkestone, are already in use, though campaign groups have criticised the facilities, likening them to prisons. Despite Labour’s earlier opposition to the policy, the government is now set to expand its use.

The sharp rise in Channel crossings follows new data showing asylum claims have hit record highs. More than 32,000 people were living in hotels across the UK at the end of June — up 8 percent from the year before. Meanwhile, the total number of asylum claims reached 111,000 over the past year, the highest figure since records began.

Immigration has quickly overtaken the economy as the public’s top concern, according to voter tracking polls. Reform UK and the Conservatives have seized on the issue, calling for tougher measures including expanded detention and faster deportations. Some Labour MPs, meanwhile, are urging Starmer to take a bolder stance, warning the government risks losing ground to Nigel Farage’s Reform party.

Local councils have also pushed back against housing arrangements, with one in Essex recently securing a temporary injunction to prevent asylum seekers from being placed in a hotel that had already seen protests. Others are considering similar legal action.

Conservative Home Affairs spokesperson Chris Philp said Labour had “lost control of our borders” and accused the government of mismanaging the crisis. Pro-migrant groups counter that the political debate is increasingly being shaped by fearmongering and exploited by the far right.

While the number of asylum seekers in hotels has dropped compared with the peak of over 56,000 in 2023, the rise in small-boat crossings — up 38 percent in the year to June — has kept migration at the centre of Britain’s political debate.