A renewed agreement between the UK and France to prevent small boat Channel crossings has not yet been signed, with the current deal expiring on Tuesday. The delay has sparked concerns that people smugglers may operate unimpeded from later this week.
The previous £468 million deal, announced by Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron in March 2023, saw the UK cover two-thirds of the cost of policing France's northern border. Discussions for a new agreement began in July, and British officials travelled to Paris last week for further talks. However, The Times reported that the deal is stalled because Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is pushing for France to increase interceptions of dinghies.
The Home Office stated it is seeking “flexibility and innovation” in the agreement and claimed to have prevented 40,000 crossing attempts since Labour took office. However, 2025 was the second highest year on record for small boat crossings, with approximately 41,500 arrivals. The Home Office did not provide evidence that intercepted individuals did not later cross the Channel. So far this year, over 4,000 people have arrived on small boats.
A Home Office source expressed concern that Mahmood's push for a performance-based deal could delay matters further, noting that security cannot be “bought” in France. The source warned that if there is a gap in the deal, some French patrols would likely continue, but “I wouldn’t underestimate the impact when Paris takes its foot off the gas.”
NGOs criticised the approach, arguing that expensive deals do not work. Lavanya Pallapi of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants said such policies lead to deaths, while Lachlan Macrae of Calais Food Collective called for safe asylum routes instead of more UK taxpayer money for French police. A Home Office spokesperson insisted France is the UK's most important migration partner and that joint work is reducing crossings.
