UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin have issued a joint statement vowing to 'prevent 100% of crossings' over the English Channel and make the route 'unviable' for migrants. The agreement, announced on Monday, aims to strengthen operational cooperation and accelerate commitments made in a July 2021 joint agreement.
The statement said the two ministers discussed additional steps, including new technology to tackle organised crime groups and respond to the escalating issue. A joint technical working group will meet imminently to permit the use of new technology as rapidly as possible. The ministers also committed to reinforcing intelligence sharing and police cooperation.
The announcement comes amid a diplomatic row over responsibility for the surge in Channel crossings. Downing Street had called on France to do more, pointing to the £54 million the UK has paid to France to beef up patrols on its northern coastline. However, Darmanin claimed his country is being treated like a 'punchbag' by a UK government that has failed to sort out its unregulated labour market.
Darmanin told CNews that the British government needed to change its laws to discourage migrants. 'If the British tightened up their legislation – they have started doing so but not gone far enough – people would no longer be in Calais or Dunkirk,' he said. The French minister also argued that smugglers 'are very often themselves in Britain.'
Last Thursday, an estimated 1,185 people crossed the Channel by boat, a record for a single day. Three people were feared drowned. More than 23,000 people have made the journey so far this year, up from 8,400 in 2020. On Monday, young children were carried ashore in Dover after more people risked the crossing.
