The UK government has agreed to pay France another £660m to curb the number of asylum seekers travelling across the Channel, including plans to fund a riot squad to “contain and disperse” people trying to board small boats.
Under a three-year deal to be signed on Thursday by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, 1,100 enforcement, intelligence and military officers – an increase of 40% – will be employed to track down smuggling gangs and people seeking refuge. A 50-strong riot squad will be trained in “crowd control tactics” and will “stop illegal migrants in their tracks”, according to the Home Office.
Organisations representing asylum seekers criticised the plans. Sile Reynolds, head of asylum advocacy at the charity Freedom from Torture, said it was a “deeply alarming” escalation, adding that many of those affected had already endured state violence. Imran Hussain, director of external affairs at the Refugee Council, said policing alone would not prevent desperate people from turning to dangerous small boats.
The deal includes a baseline package of about £500m to boost enforcement on beaches in northern France, covering five new police units, additional maritime officers, an expanded intelligence unit, and two new helicopters. A further £160m has been set aside to trial new approaches, with the first year costing £50m; the government will withhold remaining funds if no impact is seen.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the agreement would “ramp up intelligence, surveillance and boots on the ground to protect Britain’s borders”. Mahmood described it as a “landmark deal”.
