Figures show that police in France have stopped a lower proportion of migrants crossing the English Channel this year, despite a £476 million deal with the UK. Analysis of Home Office data on the numbers of migrants France claims to have stopped from making the perilous journey shows that the deal has failed to address the migrant crisis.
French police have stopped more migrants than the number arriving at Britain’s shores on only two occasions since May last year – August 2024 and January this year, according to the analysis. In March, for every migrant caught or forced to turn back, an average of 2.36 were picked up by UK Border Force.
According to the analysis by The Sun newspaper, 1,312 migrants arrived in one week in late April, but only 303 were prevented from crossing.
Sir John Hayes, a former Conservative security minister, told the same publication: “These figures reveal what most people suspected — the French are half-hearted about what we’re paying for them to do.
“Frankly, they’ve got enough people and resources to puncture every dinghy before it sets off. They should be doing all they can to stop these boats launching, not just standing around.”
British taxpayers are splashing about £476m on joint efforts to tackle crossings between 2023-24 and 2025-26, under a three-year deal struck in March 2023. France is expected to make an unspecified “substantial and continuing” contribution.
It emerged last weekend that France is willing to turn back boats in the sea but wants more money to do so. The extra money would go towards using drones and more police officers to patrol the French coast. A new deal is currently being negotiated between the two countries.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the deal, saying Britain’s relationship with France is stronger, with “ever closer” cooperation “bearing fruit”. He added: “We do know that we need to go further and faster.”
News of the faltering deal comes after the Refugee Council revealed the number of asylum seekers challenging rejected claims rocketed over the past year.
The number of open appeals now stands at 50,976, up 88% on the year to March 2024, according to the charity. Almost 91,000 asylum cases are still waiting to be heard, including over 50,000 which have been waiting more than six months.
A backlog of appeals will hamper the Labour Government’s efforts to close migrant hotels, as arrivals will be able to stay in taxpayer-funded rooms while they pursue their claims. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to close every asylum hotel by July 2029, saving £1 billion.
Meanwhile, Government figures show a record 14,812 migrants arrived in Britain in the first five months of this year. This is above the highest total recorded for the first six months of a year, which had been 13,489 on June 30 last year.
