The UK and France have not yet signed a renewed agreement to prevent small boat Channel crossings, with the current £468 million deal expiring on Tuesday. The delay comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood pushes for increased interceptions of dinghies by French authorities.
Discussions on the new deal began in July 2024, and British officials travelled to Paris last week for further talks. The Home Office stated it is seeking to add “flexibility and innovation” to the agreement, but concerns remain that a gap in coverage could allow people smugglers to operate unimpeded.
Since Labour came to office, the Home Office claims to have prevented over 40,000 crossing attempts. However, 2025 saw the second highest number of small boat arrivals on record, with approximately 41,500 people reaching the UK. So far this year, more than 4,000 have crossed.
A Home Office source warned that while Mahmood’s push for a performance-based deal is understandable, security cannot be “bought” in France, and the approach may delay an agreement. The source added that if a gap occurs, some French patrols will likely continue, but warned against underestimating the impact if Paris reduces its efforts.
NGOs on both sides of the Channel criticised the deals as ineffective. Lavanya Pallapi of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said the policies lead to deaths, while Lachlan Macrae from Calais Food Collective called for safe asylum routes instead of taxpayer money for French police.
