French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham met at Downing Street this morning for political talks, with the Channel migrant crisis high on the agenda. Ahead of the meeting, No 10 announced that the UK and France have increased the number of police on the French coast to stop so-called “mega dinghies” from launching across the English Channel.
The combined total number of boat crossings over the summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, but smugglers appear to have started loading more people onto fewer, larger vessels. Dinghies are now being launched as far as 150 miles southwest of Calais.
New measures to counter larger boats
Downing Street said measures to counter the trend include deploying a surge team of 45 officers to France’s western beaches in the coming weeks, almost tripling resources in the area. A specialist French intelligence and judicial team seeking to root out and prosecute smuggling networks has grown from 18 to 30 officers. A new 75-strong unit focused on curbing crossings has begun operations in northern France, taking the total number of officers to nearly 1,050.
Home Office officials have recently claimed that 15-metre boats which can carry 230 people are being launched because hardline tactics used by French police and funded by the UK are working. The BBC reported on Thursday that people smugglers are being forced to work together and use larger boats, and have increased their prices for a Channel journey from €1,300 to €1,700 (£1,120 to £1,460) over the last year.
Bayeux Tapestry celebration precedes talks
Last night, Burnham joined Macron and King Charles III at the British Museum to celebrate the Bayeux Tapestry as “the best possible symbol” of the “entente amicale” between France and the UK, as the King put it in a speech. The event marked a moment of unity, with the leaders inspecting the tapestry together.
Critics are saying both governments should be doing more to address the migrant crisis. The talks at No 10 are expected to cover other important issues as well, with Kiran Stacey providing a preview of the agenda.
Conservative and Reform UK events today
Later today, the Conservatives and Reform UK will be making their voices heard. At 10am, Kemi Badenoch gives a speech on defence, and how the Conservatives would fund a rise in defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030. At 11am, Robert Jenrick, the Reform UK Treasury spokesperson, speaks on a panel at the Reform conference’s ‘business day’. Suella Braverman, the education spokesperson, is also speaking at an event. The main conference starts tomorrow.
Emmanuel Macron arrives at Downing Street around 11am for talks with Andy Burnham. The outcome of these discussions could shape future UK-France cooperation on border security and migration.
