No10 urges France to 'operationalise' tougher Channel boat tactics ahead of Macron's State Visit... but 'one in, one out' deal still not done
The President is due to get the red carpet treatment in the UK this week, with No10 saying Keir Starmer hopes to make 'good progress' on tackling migrant crossings.
Following scenes where French police used a knife to puncture an inflatable, a spokesman for the PM said the approach should be in regular use 'soon'.
However, plans for a 'one in, one out' deal with Paris to reduce the incentive for migrants to come over the Channel have still not been finalised.
That could see the UK return some illegal migrants, but take an identical number of asylum seekers from France.
Critics have ridiculed the idea as a 'migrant merry-go-round'. And Whitehall sources have played down the prospect of a breakthrough this week following an intervention by the European Commission.
In the first six months of 2025, more than 20,000 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel illegally – a 48 per cent rise on the previous year and the highest level of crossings ever. In the last week alone, more than 2,200 migrants have arrived.
A No10 spokesman said the UK's 'joint work with the French is stronger than it has ever been', adding: 'We very much look forward to welcoming President Macron for a historic state visit this week.
'That relationship is key to a number of issues, and we expect to make good progress on a wide range of priorities, including migration, growth, defence and security, which will deliver on the interests of both the British and the French public.'
On French police acting to cripple the inflatable boat last week, the spokesman acknowledged that was not currently standard tactics.
He said: 'We are the first Government to have secured agreement from the French to review their maritime tactics so their border enforcement teams can intervene in shallow waters.
'This is operationally and legally complex, but we're working closely with the French. We expect this to be operationalised soon.'
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said a failure to agree a returns deal with the French president would be 'another international humiliation' for the PM.
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