The United Kingdom recorded its second-highest annual number of small boat migrant arrivals in 2025, with over 41,000 people crossing the English Channel. This figure, nearing the 2022 record, comes as Nigel Farage's Reform U.K. party gains popularity. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces pressure, with his interior minister proposing reduced refugee protections and ending automatic benefits for asylum seekers. Starmer's pledge to dismantle smuggling networks has yielded limited success, similar to his predecessor.