France migrant deal 'held up over Mahmood's demands that UK only pay if interceptions increase'

Reports in the Times have said that the deal between Britain and France is being held up by Ms Mahmood's insistence that payments to Paris should be dependent on results.

The Home Office says it wants to add “flexibility and innovation” to the agreement, which would see base funding for the patrols to be supplemented by payments based on how many attempted migrant crossings were intercepted in northern France.

The existing arrangement is set to expire next Tuesday, with British officials set to fly to Paris for crunch talks to salvage the deal this week.

Currently, Britain pays nearly two-thirds of the £160 million yearly cost to patrol the beaches of northern France.

Ms Mahmood is demanding new terms which would see funds only released after a target interception rate had been reached, The Times says.

According to the report, the French government is said to have agreed in principle with the model but has differences on the targeted rate of crossings prevented.

France currently intercepts around 37 per cent of crossings - down from 50 per cent from when the existing £475 million deal was signed in 2023.

A Home Office spokesperson told the Times: “We do not comment on anonymous briefings.

"We are building flexibility and innovation into any new deal with the French to ensure long-term value for money and a real impact on small boat crossings.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman told the newspaper that the UK and France were “united” in wanting to stop small boat crossings but that the UK wanted to ensure the new deal brought “long-term value for money”.

4,169 people have arrived in the UK aboard small boats since the beginning of 2026.