Migrant crisis: Downing Street insists France and UK ‘united’ on small boats as deal nears expiry
Downing Street says Britain and France are “united” in efforts to block small boat crossings; The government is trying to renew the landmark migration deal signed with Paris before it expires next week.
The current deal, worth around £500 million, is due to close at the end of March.
No 10 stressed the need to get “long-term value for money” in any subsequent deal.
When announcing the £478 million package in 2023, the previous Conservative government said it would fund a new detention center in France and hundreds of additional law enforcement officers off the coast of France.
Despite the investment, Channel crossings have increased, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK on small boats in 2025.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood is now facing serious pressure to reduce these numbers.
Reports suggest Ms Mahmood is understood to be defending the new deal, which includes performance-related provisions that would tie funding directly to the proportion of boats stopped by French authorities. Times.
A delegation from the Ministry of Internal Affairs is in Paris this week to discuss the terms of the renewal. Sun.
But Downing Street refused to specify the financial commitment the Government was prepared to make for a new deal when questioned by journalists on Monday.
Asked whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wanted the current agreement to be improved, his spokesman said: “We are always looking to improve where we can improve our ability to prevent small craft crossings.
“I won’t get in the way of negotiations, but we are looking at how we can bring flexibility and innovation into any deal with the French to deliver long-term value for money and a real impact on small craft crossings, building on the 40,000 blocked crossing attempts since this Government came into office.”
Asked whether the current deal provides value for money, he said the measures were “a testament to the work our teams have done with the French teams”.
“We are united in stopping small boat crossings that put lives at risk,” the official added.
According to official figures, around 4,169 people have arrived in the UK on small boats so far this year; This includes 190 people on two ships on Sunday.
Pictures show people being disembarked from a Border Force ship in Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel on Monday.
