People advertising illegal Channel crossings online could face up to five years in prison under a new offence the government plans to introduce.

The offence, which the government is seeking to create under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently going through Parliament, would form part of a crackdown on the number of migrants coming to the UK on small boats.

Assisting illegal immigration to the UK is already a crime, but officials believe the offence would give police and other agencies more power to disrupt criminal gangs.

Figures out last week showed more than 25,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via small boats in 2025 so far, a record for this point in the year.

Earlier this week, the Conservatives called it a “national emergency”, and accused the government of “doing nothing” to stop the crossings.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the plan to target social media adverts was “too little, too late”.

He said: “Tinkering at the edges won’t fix the problem.”

He added the Conservatives’ Deportation Bill would allow police and other agencies to “remove illegal arrivals immediately and remove them without delay”.

Labour pledged at the general election to “smash” people-smuggling gangs and reduce Channel crossing numbers.

New measures have been introduced since, including increased intelligence sharing with other countries and strengthened border cooperation with France, including a plan to return some migrants.

But Kevin Saunders, who was the UK’s chief immigration officer for 15 years until 2016, told BBC Breakfast there was still “no disincentive to people to come across the Channel”, despite the measures.

The new UK-wide offence announced on Sunday would criminalise the creation of material for publication online, which promotes or offers services that facilitate a breach of UK immigration law.

This would include people using social media to advertise fake passports or visas, or the promise of illegal work opportunities in the UK, and as well as jail time could carry a large fine.

Policing minister Diana Johnson said the law would be drafted to enable “extra-territorial reach” which would mean that if an advert was produced abroad and the perpetrator then travelled to the UK then authorities in the UK “would be able to deal with them”.

She added: “We will be working, as we have done for many months now, with authorities in other countries, to hold these people to account, to close down these criminal gangs, to stop this business model.”

According to analysis by the Home Office, around 80% of migrants arriving in the UK via a small boat have told officials they used social media during their journey, including to contact agents linked to people-smuggling gangs.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Selling the false promise of a safe journey to the UK and a life in this country – whether on or offline – simply to make money, is nothing short of immoral.

“These criminals have no issue with leading migrants to life-threatening situations using brazen tactics on social media. We are determined to do everything we can to stop them.”

The National Crime Agency (NCA) already works with social media companies to target online posts promoting organised immigration crime, with more than 8,000 posts taken down in 2024.

The NCA has taken action against a number of people-smuggling gangs where social media accounts have been used to promote crossings.

A network operated by Preston-based smuggler Amanj Hasan Zada, who was jailed for 17 years, posted videos of migrants thanking him for helping him.

NCA director general of operations Rob Jones said the proposed new offence would give them more options to target gangs and their business models.

The Home Office said cases of Albanian people-smugglers, who have used social media platforms to promote £12,000 “package deals” to Britain including accommodation and employment upon arrival, would be within the scope of the proposed offence.

No 10 wants to work more closely with France to reduce the crossings.

A deal was struck in early July between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to send some migrants who arrive on small boats back to France.

For every migrant returned, France would send an asylum seeker to the UK – potentially one with a family connection to Britain.

But critics pointed out this would involve a tiny proportion of those currently crossing, and questioned whether the scheme would deter migrants.

The government has also toughened up rules to make it almost impossible for anyone arriving in the UK on a small boat to become a British citizen.