UK and France agree deal to tackle rise in Channel crossings

France will double the number of police patrolling its beaches as part of a deal with the UK to stem the number of migrants crossing the English Channel.

It comes as the number of people crossing the Channel this year has now overtaken 2020’s total.

The UK will pay more than £54m as part of the deal, which will also improve intelligence sharing.

But Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont suggested it would not have an impact as the French coastline is too big.

He told the Today programme: “The fact is, we’ve seen it before. Having more money, having more police officers, having more controls, will not prevent people to succeed in these crossing attempts.

“We have too many kilometres of shore to monitor.”

The funding will also be used for better technology to target those who organise the crossings, the Home Office said. 

A group of migrants was seen arriving at Dover on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number this year to more than the 8,461 who made the crossing in 2020. 

On Monday at least 430 migrants crossed the Channel – a record for one day. The previous daily high of 416 was set in September last year.

The Home Office said on Tuesday 287 people had landed in the UK.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and French interior minister Gerald Darmanin have agreed to “strengthen co-operation” over the crossings.

The Home Office said UK support last year helped France double the number of officers deployed daily on the beaches of its northern coast.

It said this resulted in France preventing twice as many crossings so far this year compared with the same period in 2020.

However, it said the people who facilitated the crossings had now changed their tactics and had moved further up the French coast, “forcing migrants to take even longer, riskier journeys”.

Mr Dumont added that the French are not supposed to intervene at sea – yet former Border Force chief Tony Smith has called for joint patrols. 

Mr Smith said: “That seems to be a step too far for the French at the moment. The French position is they are not prepared to intervene on the high seas, only on land.”