Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to urge French President Emmanuel Macron to enhance efforts to curb illegal Channel crossings during upcoming talks in Downing Street. The meeting follows France's offer of an additional 45 officers to tackle the growing use of large dinghies capable of carrying up to 230 migrants.
This initiative, part of a new "surge team" of French police funded by Britain, aims to address the increasing reliance on "mega-dinghies" by smuggling gangs. However, government sources acknowledge the limited increase in French personnel dedicated to border patrol.
Burnham is also expected to discuss the extension of the "one in, one out" returns agreement. In its first year, this deal resulted in the removal of fewer than 30 illegal migrants per week, with approximately 1,400 migrants returned to France in exchange for a similar number of legitimate asylum seekers admitted to the UK. Downing Street has described the deal as a "significant step in the right direction."
The Prime Minister stated that the observed decrease in crossings over the summer demonstrates the effectiveness of UK-French cooperation. "The small boats crisis is a shared European challenge, and no country can solve it alone," Burnham said. "Working with France and our international partners, we will restore order and control to our borders and prevent smugglers exploiting vulnerable migrants."
Despite these assurances, the Conservative opposition has criticized the government's strategy. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp called the plans a "joke" and questioned the effectiveness of the current agreements, pointing to footage of French officers observing migrants embarking on boats. Philp suggested that payments to France should be suspended until all embarkations in shallow waters are prevented.
"We now have a mega-dinghy crisis with 150 illegal immigrants per dinghy crossing every time the sea is calm," Philp stated. "All we have from the government are press releases and gimmicks. They haven’t smashed the gangs and the ‘one in, one out’ deal has seen only three per cent of arrivals returned."
The two leaders are also scheduled to discuss the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Additionally, Burnham plans to seek French support for negotiating a closer relationship with the European Union at an upcoming UK-EU summit.
