Footage released by the UK's Border Security Command shows migrants clashing with French police on a beach in northern France as they attempted to board a dinghy bound for the English Channel. The video depicts individuals, some wearing life jackets, throwing objects at officers to deter intervention before police used Pava spray and slashed the inflatable boat.
These efforts are part of a new agreement between the UK and France aimed at curbing illegal crossings. According to the Home Office, French police prevented over 4,300 migrants from reaching UK shores in the first three months following the implementation of this deal. UK-funded officers reportedly stopped 185 boat crossings between April 27 and August 2, a figure representing about 60 percent of all attempted crossings during that period, according to official data. Equipment was seized, launches were prevented, and individuals suspected of smuggling were arrested.
During the same timeframe, 8,200 migrants arrived in the UK on 120 boats. The data indicates that French police are increasingly intercepting smaller vessels before they can launch, rather than larger boats used for longer journeys. Previously, French authorities were hesitant to intercept dinghies in deeper water due to the risks involved with overcrowded boats.
The UK government is under pressure to demonstrate a crackdown on irregular migration, an issue identified as a significant concern for the British public, partly due to rising costs associated with housing asylum seekers. In April, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed an agreement with her French counterpart, committing the UK to pay France £661 million over three years to enhance efforts to prevent small boat crossings.
Despite these measures, thousands of migrants continue to reach the UK. On a single day in early August, 250 individuals arrived. In late July, a record 165 migrants arrived on one vessel, described as a large dinghy measuring 13 meters (42 feet) in length.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that the UK-France deal is actively disrupting criminal gangs and preventing crossings. Conversely, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the government's assessment of the deal's success, arguing that the number of prevented crossings is decreasing and advocating for stronger deterrents, including rapid deportations.
Reform UK has proposed intercepting Channel vessels and returning migrants to French ports, even without French consent, a stance that the French interior ministry has deemed a violation of French sovereignty.
In July, 2,316 people made the journey across the Channel, marking the lowest figure for that month since 2020. For the first seven months of 2026, 14,200 migrants arrived in the UK on 214 small boats, compared to 25,436 on 431 vessels during the same period in the previous year. Between 2018 and 2025, the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory recorded 162 deaths in the waterway, with the total number of migration-related fatalities in the area rising to 257 when accounting for incidents such as accidents involving individuals attempting to board lorries bound for the UK.