Head Of UN's Refugee Agency Puts The UK's Small Boat Arrivals In Perspective

The number of small boat migrants arriving on British shores pales in comparison to the number turning up to some other countries, the outgoing head of the United Nations’ refugee agency has said.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme, Filippo Grandi – who is leaving his post at the end of 2025 – hit out at those who claim there are too many people trying to come to the UK. 

Pointing to the 41,000 people who crossed the English Channel to get into the UK in 2025, he said: “In some places, this is the daily arrival of refugees. In Chad, for example, coming from Sudan, from a terrible war.”

However, he added that deciding who qualifies as a refugee needs to be “organised much better”, with clearer return deals.

“When this doesn’t happen,  people say, ’oh, there’s no leadership in this, it’s chaos, it’s dangerous, let’s listen to those who say push back,” the official said.

He said it requires “political courage” to welcome a refugee, and it is important to support “the host community”, too.

The official noted that western governments have failed to support their own populations enough, which is where the “propaganda that people come to steal jobs and threaten values and undermine security” comes from.

Alluding to former PM Theresa May’s attempt to introduce a “hostile environment” to deter immigration, Grandi said: “There is nothing that creates a hostile environment as [much as] a badly organised welcome, and unfortunately we’ve seen that.

“In the UK, the small boats and the challenges of dealing with these people and some of the choices that were made – and that the government is trying to correct – have conveyed the wrong impression that this brings chaos.”

He noted that the right to seek asylum is “under threat around the world” and warned that funding cuts – to organisations like his own – further hindered support efforts for refugees.

Gradni’s comments come after a year of intense scrutiny on the government’s handling of the small boat crisis.

A wave of anti-immigration protests broke out in the summer particularly around the use of asylum hotels.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is now attempting to crackdown on immigrations, and intends to make refugee status temporary.

A home office spokesperson defended itself against Grandi’s criticisms, telling the Daily Mail: “The number of small boat crossings are shameful and the British people deserve better.

“This government is taking action. We have removed almost 50,000 people who were here illegally, and our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

“The home secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.”