Britain will payout £480m over the next three years in a deal struck between Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron to tackle small boat Channel crossings, including helping fund a detention centre in France.
The fresh package agreed between the prime minister and the French president to deal with the migrant crisis will also see the deployment of hundreds more French personnel patrolling the beaches.
PM suggests European countries will copy UK’s tough migration approach – politics latest
Other measures include:
- Additional drones, aircraft and surveillance technologies
- A new 24/7 coordination centre with permanent UK liaison officers
- Increased cooperation between the National Crime Agency and its French counterpart
Mr Sunak said: “I have made it one of my five priorities to stop the boats.
“We are delivering on that priority to stop people coming to the UK illegally.
“Last year I agreed the largest ever small boats deal with France to increase UK-funded patrols by 40%.
“This week I announced measures to ensure nobody who enters the UK illegally can remain here.
“We don’t need to manage this problem, we need to break it.
“And today, we have gone further than ever before to put an end to this disgusting trade in human life. Working together, the UK and France will ensure that nobody can exploit our systems with impunity.”
Mr Sunak has held talks in Paris with his French counterpart aimed at bolstering efforts to tackle the migration crisis.
More than 3,000 people have already made the perilous sea journey this year, with almost 46,000 arriving by unofficial routes in 2022.
Earlier in the week, the Tory government unveiled controversial plans to curb Channel crossings would see refugees arriving by boats detained, removed and banned for life from claiming asylum in the UK.
