The UK and France have signed a new three-year, £662 million agreement aimed at stopping illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel. Under the deal, France will deploy riot-trained police, drones, helicopters, and camera systems to intercept people smugglers and migrants.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood finalized the accord on Thursday, which includes sending at least 50 police officers trained in crowd control to French beaches to handle violent situations. For the first time, the UK may withdraw or redirect around £100 million of funding after one year if sufficient journeys are not stopped, though specific targets have not been disclosed.
As part of the deal, a removal center in Dunkirk—first announced in 2023—is expected to be completed by year's end. The 140-capacity facility, staffed by over 200 officers, will focus on deporting migrants from the top 10 origin countries of small boat arrivals: Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria, Vietnam, and Yemen.
Mahmood called it a "landmark agreement" that would "really arm us to go after the people smugglers." French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the deal empowers security forces to combat perilous crossings and strengthens coastal safety.
Critics, including the Conservatives and Reform UK, argued the government is handing over billions with no conditions, calling the approach ineffective. Crossings have surged, with 41,472 arrivals in 2025 and over 6,000 in 2026 so far. The previous 2023 deal, worth £476 million, expires next month.
In a migrant camp in northern France, one man told the BBC he hoped to reach the UK to live "as a normal human being," while a woman cited democracy and protection. The new agreement will boost UK-funded officers in northern France by about 42% to nearly 1,100, focusing on disrupting smuggling gangs and reducing crossings.