A deal that sees Britain pay France to patrol its beaches for small boat migrants is set to expire tomorrow – raising fears of an increase in crossings later this week.
The Home Office is still negotiating a new agreement with Emmanuel Macron‘s government on UK funding for security along its northern coastline.
Taxpayers have already given £658million in security payments to France since 2018, a report by the House of Commons Library set out last year.
The UK wants the replacement deal to contain a performance-related factor which will see funds paid only when French border patrol officers manage to block a set proportion of people traffickers’ boats – but no terms have been agreed.
Previous assessments have indicated nine out of 10 dinghies must be stopped in order to disrupt the smugglers’ illegal enterprises.
However, a lack of any agreement could see a significant decrease in the police presence on French beaches. This may lead to an increase in crossings, which have already topped 69,000 under Labour.
The UK-France security agreement has long been controversial.
Migrants make there way to an inflatable boat off the beach in Gravelines earlier this month
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In 2023 it emerged some of the UK’s money had been used to buy equipment for French police operating on the French-Italian border – and not the Channel coast.
It was also revealed that most of the funds had been spent on helicopters, cars, motorbikes, e-scooters and quad bikes, plus surveillance equipment such as binoculars, drones and dash cams.
British taxpayers’ cash was also used to buy equipment such as charging devices, microwaves and car vacuums, and to support a horse brigade in the Somme Bay.
Labour’s separate ‘one in, one out’ deal with the French has also failed to have an impact on the Channel crisis.
According to latest figures, only 377 migrants have been sent back to France under the agreement but 380 have come into Britain under the reciprocal terms of the deal.
The ‘one in, one out’ scheme is due to expire in June.
Sir Keir scrapped the previous government’s Rwanda asylum scheme – which was designed to save lives in the Channel by deterring crossings – as one of his first acts in office.
The Government has also ruled out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights which is used by migrants and foreign criminals to avoid being deported.
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a series of tough immigration reforms, including plans to make migrants wait longer for the right to live in Britain indefinitely.
But the changes, which have yet to be described in detail, will face immediate legal action as soon as they are unveiled.
It comes amid growing opposition to the plans from the Left of the Labour party, with former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner last week describing them as ‘un-British‘.
The legal challenge, which has already raised £25,000 from an online ‘crowdfunding’ campaign, will have the potential to slow down Ms Mahmood’s attempts to introduce reform.
Currently, migrants – such as foreign workers – must live here legally for five years before applying for settlement to stay here permanently, known as ‘indefinite leave to remain’ (ILR).
Plans unveiled in November said that would be extended to ten years, and to 20 years for refugees.
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Labour’s Left wing has been angered by the retrospective nature of the proposals which mean migrants already living here will have to wait years longer to win ILR and secure full access to welfare benefits and social housing.
The Home Office said: ‘France is our most important migration partner and together our joint work is bearing down on small boat crossings.
‘We have prevented over 40,000 crossing attempts by illegal migrants since this government took office. Our landmark deal means illegal migrants who arrive on small boats are being sent back to France.’
