French police stopping fewer migrants since Starmer-Macron small boats deal
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the French efforts "lamentable"
French police are preventing fewer Channel crossings since Sir Keir Starmer’s deal with Emmanuel Macron to crack down on small boats, figures suggest.
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Just 28.7 per cent of attempted crossings have been stopped since the agreement came into effect in August, compared to 38 per cent in the 13 weeks before, according to The Telegraph.
Under the deal, France pledged to deploy elite officers to intercept smugglers’ dinghies at sea - within 300 metres of the coast - before they could reach British waters.
But the new tactics have been delayed over safety concerns, with officers reportedly worried that intervening in shallow water could put migrants’ lives at risk.
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Amid mounting frustration in Whitehall, people smugglers are now sharing clips online showing French police failing to stop crossings - using the footage to lure more migrants to make the journey.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called the French efforts "lamentable".
"Preventing only a quarter of embarkation attempts is pathetic. No wonder migrants are using videos of French police standing around to illustrate how easy it is to cross," he said.
"I saw this myself when I went to the Calais area in the summer with French police ushering illegal immigrants onto a public bus towards embarkation points. We have seen 2,000 illegal immigrants cross in a four-day period recently. The Government has lost control of our borders."
Figures show that while French interceptions fell from 8,521 to 4,635 over the 13-week comparison period, arrivals in the UK only dropped slightly - from 13,920 to 11,518.
Jim McConalogue, chief executive of think tank Civitas, said the numbers raised “serious questions” about the deal’s effectiveness.
“Given the purpose of the deal and its deterrent effect, we should ask questions as to why, in the presence of a small decrease in arrivals following the deal, we are looking at an over 45 per cent drop in migrants being stopped,” he said.
Jim McConalogue, chief executive of think tank Civitas, said the numbers raised “serious questions” about the deal’s effectiveness.
“Given the purpose of the deal and its deterrent effect, we should ask questions as to why, in the presence of a small decrease in arrivals following the deal, we are looking at an over 45 per cent drop in migrants being stopped,” he said.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are furious at the level of illegal migrants entering the country on small boats. Joint operations with the French have intercepted over 20,000 illegal migrants entering the country over the last year.
“However, we must go further with the French to prevent boats entering our waters and scale up the removal of illegal migrants. The Government will do whatever it takes to secure our borders.”
More than 39,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, up 18 per cent on the same point last year and close to 2022’s record levels.