A staggering chart has laid bare the true scale of Britain's asylum burden while Andy Burnham oversees a surge in crossings in his first fortnight as Prime Minister. Multiple "mega-dinghies" carrying around 165 migrants each have contributed to the rising total of migrants making the crossing over the past two weeks. Data on those crossing the Channel is published every three months, with the latest figures covering the period to the end of March 2026. Around 95 per cent (178,845) of the illegal arrivals claimed asylum out of those that made the crossing. Of this group, a staggering 79,589 (44.5 per cent) were granted refugee status or another type of leave by the end of 2025.