The UK will pay France an additional £16.2 million to maintain police patrols on Channel beaches under a two-month stopgap arrangement, after negotiators failed to agree a permanent deal before a midnight deadline. The temporary measure aims to prevent a surge in small-boat crossings while talks continue.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed off on the interim deal following a deadlock over plans to revamp the existing three-year, £478 million agreement, which was due to lapse. UK negotiators had demanded a “huge surge” of extra officers and a guarantee of increased small-boat interventions by French officials to disrupt gang activity. However, Paris refused to agree to these terms, citing concerns that such demands could put the lives of asylum seekers and French officers at greater risk.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The home secretary is driving a hard bargain with the French to deliver the best deal for the British people, prevent migrants boarding boats and to save lives. We want more bang for our buck.” The spokesperson added that the UK wants to avoid a surge in crossings while negotiations continue and is seeking a significant increase in enforcement officers on French beaches.
Currently, the UK funds nearly two-thirds of the annual cost of patrols in northern France. Mahmood is seeking to link the next three years of funding to an increase in small-boat interceptions and wants more regular information on intervention numbers. The Guardian has asked the Home Office how much France will contribute in additional expenses over the stopgap period.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, criticised the deal, stating he would end any agreement with France. He claimed that even if French authorities stop boats, the same people return on calm days, and that the UK’s “pull factors” encourage illegal crossings. A Home Office source responded by saying the money spent on French patrols is vital to preventing much larger numbers of people from reaching the UK, and that Farage’s comments were “completely reckless”.
Nearly 700 officers from units dedicated to intercepting small boats will continue to patrol the French coastline, supported by surveillance and vehicles such as vans and dune buggies. The talks to renew the patrol deal are separate from negotiations to renew the “one in, one out” migrant returns deal with France, which expires in June.
