Migrants react as a French police officer stands by ready to puncture the smuggler's boat (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
France has stopped just 8,300 migrants from crossing the Channel despite fears of a record breaking year, the Daily Express can reveal.
Pressure is mounting on Paris after new analysis of Home Office figures showed 8,347 asylum seekers have been prevented from reaching UK waters in a small boat.
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With 13,167 people crossing over the same time period, it suggests France is intercepting fewer than 40 per cent of people despite Britain agreeing to pay more than ￡480,000 every day this financial year.
Critics branded the efforts “pathetic” and warned the French navy are allowing people to continue their journeys “even after corpses are removed” from dinghies.
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READ MORE: Keir Starmer to beg 9 countries to take migrants in Labour immigration chaos
Britain and France are under intense pressure to end the Channel migrant crisis (Image: Getty)
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express: “France is in breach of their international law obligations to stop illegal migration. Stopping under 40% of illegal immigrants attempting to cross is pathetic. Even the 40% stopped are simply let go by the French and they just attempt to cross the next day instead.
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“The French should do what the Belgians do and forcibly intercept boats at sea near the French shore and return them to France. This would soon stop the crossings - which is in France’s interests too as then the illegal immigrants would not congregate around Calais.
“Otherwise, every single illegal immigrant who arrives in the UK should be immediately removed to a location outside Europe, for example Rwanda. Labour’s claim to smash the gangs lies in tatters, with 37,000 illegal immigrants having arrived since the election and 2025 so far has been the worst year in history for illegal immigrants. Labour has lost control of our borders.”
Former Border Force Director General Tony Smith added: “The figures on French preventions are disappointing given the investment we are making in resourcing their activities there.
“Promises to introduce maritime interventions even in shallow waters have come to nothing - and allowing boats to continue their journeys even after corpses are removed from what is a potential crime scene is totally unacceptable.
“Also, the French policy of handing out life jackets is a clear signal that they have little interest in preventing asylum seekers from putting their lives at risk by crossing the Channel.
“On the contrary, once the boats have launched their policy is to do all they can to facilitate their passage to U.K. waters rather than rescue them and take them back to France where their safety could be assured.”
The Home Office revealed more than 26,000 migrants were prevented from crossing the Channel in 2023, down from 33,791 in 2022.
Official figures have not been published for 2024, but Home Office minister Angela Eagle claimed 28,000 were intercepted. Britain has agreed to pay France ￡480million to stop more Channel migrant crossings. This includes ￡175million in the current financial year – more than ￡480,000 every day.
Officials have warned that the Channel migrant crisis is “endemic” and that there is unlikely to be any drop in the number of crossings until 2026 at the earliest. One insider said the problem was “not going to get solved quickly”.
Ministers have publicly blamed this year’s fine weather for the rise in crossings, with officials saying there have been twice as many “red days” - when the Channel is easier to cross by small boats - compared with last year.
There is also concern over an increase in the number of migrants arriving from countries in the Horn of Africa, such as Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan.
Fears have grown that Donald Trump’s cuts to US Aid could drive more people to seek a new life in countries like the UK. Frustration is also mounting over the failure of the French to do more to prevent small boats leaving their shores.
The Daily Express understands that France will agree to change its own regulations to allow the interception of boats in shallow water this summer. Officials had been privately hoping it could begin at the end of May.
Ministers believe the move could have a significant impact in making it tougher for the smuggling gangs to operate.
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The French are accused of failing to stop enough boats (Image: Getty)
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But the changes are likely to come too late to prevent 2025 being a record year for crossings. The UK and France are also discussing a “one-for-one” returns agreement that will allow asylum seekers to join their family members already in the UK.
In return, illegal migrants who have successfully crossed the Channel will be taken back to France. London and Paris are working on a “pilot scheme” that could later be expanded into a wider European deal.
Home Office sources told the Daily Express the first “hurdle” is to test whether a returns deal – either bilateral or even multilateral – is possible “at any scale”. But this newspaper understands the Government is privately delighted Paris has even begun to discuss a returns deal – after years of refusing to do so.
Ms Cooper is said to have a very good relationship with her French counterpart, Bruno Retailleau. Mr Retailleau has accepted Paris has to do more to end the Channel migrant crisis.
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He added: “We have to deal with the crossings. Up until now, we considered it to be a French doctrine that we would save people on the seas – but that we would take no risk whatsoever.
“So we would accompany the people on the boats. I’ve seen a number of videos where the taxi boats come close to the coast to pick up the migrants in water that’s not very deep, and I think that our gendarmes cannot intervene. We need to change that doctrine of intervention.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are strengthening our vital cooperation with France to disrupt the gangs behind these crossings. From this month, a new unit of dedicated officers has been mobilised to increase patrols along the northern coast of France. At the same time, the French authorities are working to amend their operational policy to allow maritime forces to intervene in shallow waters.”