UK Commits £662 Million to France for Small Boat Interceptions, Deploying Riot Police to Beaches
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is scheduled to sign a new three-year agreement with France on Thursday, allocating £662 million to curb small boat crossings in the English Channel. This arrangement will see at least 50 French police officers, specifically trained in riot and crowd control, dispatched to beaches to manage what officials describe as hostile crowds and violence.
Beyond personnel, the deal commits France to deploying new drones, two helicopters, and an advanced camera system, all intended to track and intercept people smugglers and migrants. Crucially, around £100 million of the UK’s funding could be withheld or redirected after one year if French authorities fail to significantly reduce the number of people attempting the journey.
Mahmood stated that prior collaboration with France had already prevented “tens of thousands of illegal migrants” from reaching Britain, but emphasised the need for greater action to stop dangerous crossings and imprison smugglers.
The agreement has drawn criticism, particularly from the Conservative opposition, who accuse the government of providing “half a billion pounds of our money with no conditions at all.” This comes as Channel crossings have increased over the past three years, with 41,472 individuals arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025. On a single Saturday, 602 migrants arrived in Dover on nine boats, bringing the 2026 total to over 6,000.
Under the previous deal, signed in 2023, the UK paid £476 million for additional patrols. The new agreement will increase the number of officers working in northern France by approximately 42%, bringing the total to nearly 1,100 law enforcement, intelligence, and military personnel. France will also introduce a new vessel and over 20 additional maritime officers to target “taxi boats.”
The Refugee Council’s director of external affairs, Imran Hussain, argued that focusing solely on policing the Channel would not prevent desperate individuals from resorting to dangerous crossings. He maintained that without “safe routes to reach the UK,” vulnerable people would continue to be forced into perilous journeys.
In August 2025, the Labour government implemented a separate “one-in-one-out” deal with France, allowing the UK to return some small boat arrivals while admitting an equivalent number of migrants who had not attempted to cross. As of February, 305 individuals had been returned to France, and 367 had arrived in the UK under this scheme.
