£16 Million Payout with No Guarantees
Labour is handing over a staggering £2 million a week to France to police the English Channel, even though Paris refuses to accept any targets to halt the small boat crossings.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood inked a £16.2 million extension for two months with French authorities, continuing to subsidise their beach patrols. This deal comes despite the French doubling down on their rejection of any payment linked to results.
French Refuse ‘Payment By Results’ Deal
Ms Mahmood demanded that future payments should depend on the French intercepting illegal crossings. But France claims linking funds to success rates would endanger lives at sea.
Since the start of the year, fewer than one-third of attempted Channel crossings have been stopped by French patrols, with over 4,400 migrants making it to UK shores despite awful weather.
Unable to secure stricter terms, Mahmood extended the current deal to avoid a Channel chaos free-for-all and promised to “do whatever it takes to restore order and control at our borders.”
Labour Slammed for Throwing Money at France Amid Rising Crossings
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp slammed Labour’s handling as a “ripping off of Britain.”
“France is stopping fewer small boat illegal immigrants than ever,” Philp said.
“There should be zero illegal migrants trying to reach the UK after leaving safe France. Yet Labour now pays £2 million a week for failure. They lack the backbone to get a deal. Keir Starmer has overseen a 45% jump in Channel crossings since the election – his promise to smash the gangs is in tatters.”
French Concerns Over Dangerous Sea Interventions
French Interior Ministry insiders and the Navy warn that intervening at sea is perilous, with potential for drownings. Laurent Nunez, the French Interior Minister, opposes aggressive sea interceptions due to risks to officers and migrants.
Paris also rejected UK demands to fund salaries for staff at new migrant detention centres and police barracks in northern France, pushing costs back on the UK.
The Grim Numbers
- Just 2,064 out of 6,233 attempted crossings stopped by France so far in 2026 – the lowest interception rate on record.
- Last year, only around 35% of migrants were blocked from crossing by French authorities.
- British cash pays for French patrol overtime, insurance, boats, and surveillance drones.
A senior French police union official warned, “Trying to force overcrowded boats to turn back is extremely dangerous, especially when women and children are on board.”
Home Office Response
A Home Office insider insisted Mahmood is “driving a hard bargain” to get better terms. “We want more bang for our buck,” the source said.
Ms Mahmood said: “Our work with France has stopped 42,000 attempts by illegal migrants to cross the Channel. While we finalise a new and improved UK-France deal, French law enforcement operations will continue. I will do whatever it takes to restore order and control at our borders.”
But with French resistance to conditional funding and UK reluctance to meet all French demands, the migrant crisis looks far from over.
