PM to raise small boats with Macron at G7, as migrants continue to evade French police
Sir Keir Starmer says he will speak to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders at the G7 summit on stepping up efforts to stop small boat crossings across the English Channel.
In a briefing with journalists before arriving in Canada for the meeting of the world's most advanced economies, the prime minister was asked if French authorities are doing enough to stop small boats.
It comes after more than 900 people made the perilous crossing on Friday alone, taking the provisional annual total to 16,183.
Despite existing security arrangements between the UK and France, ITV News reported last month on how French police are continuing to be outpaced by people smugglers.
"Look, one of the things we've worked hard at is improving the relations with the French in relation to the work we both need to do to stop these boat crossings, which I'm determined we will absolutely bear down on," Starmer said.
"Nobody should be making that journey. As a result of that we are seeing a much greater cooperation in northern France."
However, the PM said he wanted to see "more cooperation" in northern France, adding: "It's an issue that I have raised and will raise again with President Macron.
"It's one of the issues I'll be discussing - not just with Macron, actually, but discussing it with [Italy's] Giorgia Meloni, [Germany's] Friedrich Merz, and others.
Asked if time had been set aside at the G7 for specific meetings on this issue, or if talks would only take part on the fringes, a spokesperson for the PM that immigration would be a discussion topic among leaders.
They added that Starmer has "always been clear" this is an issue that "requires international partnerships and solutions to make a difference".
The current provisional annual total of small boat Channel crossings, standing at 16,183 as of Saturday, is understood to be 42% higher than the same point last year and 79% up on the same date in 2023.
Friday was not even the highest daily total so far this year, with 1,195 people arriving on Britain's shores on May 31.
The UK is currently funding equipment for French police to stop these migrants, but, as ITV News observed in Dunkirk last month, many have been able to exploit stretches of beaches with no visible police presence.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.'That is why this government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage, and why we are investing up to an additional £280 million per year by 2028-29 in the Border Security Command.'Through international intelligence-sharing under our Border Security Command, enhanced enforcement operations in northern France and tougher legislation in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, we are strengthening international partnerships and boosting our ability to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal gangs whilst strengthening the security of our borders.'
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