Nigel Farage demands £700m refund from France for migrant ‘scam’ – ‘laughing at us’ | Politics | News

Nigel Farage will demand France repay £700 million given to Paris to stop Channel migrant crossings. Reform said he would not give “another penny” to the French government and “will not demand repayment for the fraud committed against the British people”.

The Home Office is desperately trying to reach a new deal for police operations in northern France, despite warnings that Britain is “pouring money into their country for a failed scheme”. Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood told her on Tuesday night that the new money should be tied to results and boats being stopped in the water.

But Reform’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, told the Daily Express: “The French are laughing at us. Desperate Tory and Labor governments paid them £700 million of British taxpayers’ money to stop the boats, but illegal boat crossings have soared.”

“Reform does not pay them a penny more and demand payback for the fraud they have committed against the British people.”

Of the current deal, which expires on Tuesday, he added: “This massive £475m three-year deal has been nothing short of a failure, with more than 107,000 illegal immigrants crossing the Channel into Britain since it was signed.

“While the arrival rate increased by 41%, intervention rates decreased by 13%.

“The French laugh at us when we pour taxpayers’ money into their country for a failed plan.”

Mr Youssef has vowed to stop the crossings by significantly increasing surveillance across the Channel, ordering the Royal Marines to withdraw the boats to France and deport every illegal immigrant in the UK. This newspaper was told the reform would legally support elite troops and Border Force to intercept the boats.

Some 3,457 migrants have crossed the English Channel this year, while French police watch, often helplessly. Police officers were also seen distributing life jackets.

According to Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood’s proposals, France will only be paid if a certain number of asylum seekers are caught.

It is understood that France accepted the idea but not the payment thresholds.

And critics have called on Ms Mahmood to add a clause to the agreement demanding Paris eventually intercept the boats.

Former Border Force Director General Tony Smith also called on British officers to “work side by side” with the French at Calais and Dunkirk, “so we can have a better idea of ​​their actual actions”.

He said: “We need a performance-based agreement with more transparency on the results. “As things stand, we don’t know what the French mean by ‘stoppage’ or blocking passage.

“Does this include boats turning back due to engine failure? Or people scattering into the dunes when they see a police officer?”

“How do they count them and how do we inspect them?

“Ideally, I would put my boots on the ground to work with them so we have a better idea of ​​their actual actions.

“But I don’t think they’ll accept that.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express: “Despite the French only blocking 30% of boardings last year, it is clear they need to step up their game.

“We should not give the French any more money unless they keep their promise to intercept boats near the shore.

“Stopping a third of ships is not enough; illegal immigrants who are stopped can try again the next day.

“67,000 illegal immigrants have passed through since the election, a 45 percent increase.

“The workers have no control over our borders; their claims to crush the gangs are in tatters and their little boat czar has also resigned in disappointment.

“We need to leave the ECHR, which will allow us to deport all illegal immigrants within a week. Then the crossings will stop soon. But Shabana Mahmood is too weak to do this.”

France is blocking only a third of Channel migrant crossings, down from 50 per cent when the £475 million deal between Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron was signed.

French authorities prevented 22,476 migrants from crossing into the UK.

However, the majority of these are believed to be related to boat sinking, engine failure, overcrowding on boats and bad weather conditions.

Research compiled by the House of Commons Library has revealed how the number of boats stopped has fallen over the past five years.

23,923 departures were blocked in 2021. This number increased to 33,000 in 2022, falling again to 26,000 in 2023.

The House of Commons Library said partial figures for 2024 from May to December revealed 21,317 people had their access to the UK stopped.

Britain has paid France over £700 million since 2018 for police patrols, increased surveillance and military-grade drones to prevent illegal immigrants crossing the Channel.

As the small boat crisis intensified in 2020, financing commitments increased.

London and Paris have agreed a series of deals worth £3.25 million in 2019, £28.1 million in 2020, £54 million in 2021, £62.2 million in 2022 and then Rishi Sunak’s £475 million in 2023.

Paris agreed to stop the boats in the water. But French officers did this only once.

Shadow Home Secretary Katie Lam said: “After spending hundreds of millions of pounds on a ‘one in, one out’ scheme, it is surprising that two in three immigration crossings are still successful.

“We cannot continue to hand out huge sums of money and sign complex agreements with the French. This Government has proven incapable of getting the basics right and delivering the secure borders that the British people rightly demand.

“There has been no meaningful deterrence since Labor came to power. The only way to stop the boats is for anyone crossing the Channel illegally to be immediately detained and then deported to their home country or a safe third country. Until this happens, smuggler gangs will continue to ply their deadly trade and the boats will keep coming.”

The Home Office said: “France is our most important migration partner and our joint work focuses on small boat crossings.

“We have foiled more than 40,000 attempted crossings since the government took office. Our landmark agreement means the direct return of illegal immigrants arriving on small boats.”