France may reverse its pledge to forcefully turn back small boats in the Channel, according to reports, in a blow to Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to stem the number of migrants arriving in the UK.
France is backing away from the commitment amid political turmoil in the French government, according to sources who have spoken to the BBC.
Then-home secretary Yvette Cooper said in April that she had “persuaded France to change its rules”, with the French agreeing to intervene once migrants are in the water to stop the crossings.
Previously, French police had not taken active steps against migrants once they were in the water due to the danger to life. Ms Cooper promised in April that the changes would come in “over the next few months”, and French police officers were filmed by media in July wading into shallow waters and using knives to slash an inflatable small boat.
Now sources have told the BBC that the plan to intercept the dinghies has halted. One figure linked to French maritime security said it was “just a political stunt”.
The maritime prefecture for the Channel also said that the new plan was “still being studied”.
The plan was agreed when Yvette Cooper was home secretary and Bruno Retailleau was the French interior minister. Both are no longer in post, with Ms Cooper moved to the Foreign Office and Mr Retailleau, of the conservative Republicans Party, leaving government when Sébastien Lecornu was made French prime minister.
A spokesperson at French charity Utopia 56, which supports refugees waiting to make the perilous crossing to the UK, told The Independent that they had not seen police introducing new tactics.
But they added: “However, the police presence is still really important and there is often use of violence. They don’t hesitate to sometimes walk in the water to cut the boat – something they have been doing since 2022. There is also the complete abandonment of people in distress afterwards.”
French police have used pushback tactics in their overseas territories for several years, with people reportedly dying or disappearing at sea after collisions between migrant boats and police.
French border police boats have been videoed pursuing migrant dinghies off the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte.
A report published on Thursday by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) found that the UK’s border force maritime command was so understaffed that it was unable to crew all of the vessels in its fleet. The inspector found that the border force was struggling to recruit new staff and that the workforce was ageing, with nearly half aged over 50.
Union representatives had raised concerns about the culture within the maritime command, with allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.
There was also evidence that yachts and fishing boats are being used by migrants to enter the UK, but the border force did not collect comprehensive data on clandestine arrivals, the report found.
An Iraqi national was sentenced on Wednesday for breaching immigration laws by arriving on a yacht from France. The 26-foot yacht he was on was intercepted off the coast of Brixham in south west England.
The news comes after a migrant who was sent back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme returned to the UK after crossing the Channel on a small boat.
The government has pledged to send the man back, with children’s minister Josh MacAlister saying people would be sent back “again and again” if they return.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We will do whatever it takes to secure our borders and stop migrants entering the country on small boats.
“France is a critical partner in tackling illegal migration, and we continue to work closely together as they review their maritime doctrine, which will allow officers to intervene in shallow waters. We want to see the earliest possible deployment of these new tactics.
“And thanks to our landmark deal with the French, people crossing in small boats can now be detained and removed.”
