Britain and France have reached a new three-year agreement aimed at preventing irregular migrants from making dangerous small-boat crossings across the English Channel.
Under the deal, France will significantly scale up coastal enforcement, increasing personnel by more than 50 per cent to about 1,400 officers by 2029. In return, the United Kingdom will contribute up to €766 million (approximately $897 million), with about a quarter of the funding tied to performance benchmarks.
The agreement builds on the Sandhurst Treaty, which defines the UK’s financial support for French efforts to curb illegal migration. The pact, first signed in 2018 and extended in 2023, was due to expire this year following months of negotiations between the two countries.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said joint efforts had already prevented tens of thousands of crossings, adding that the renewed deal would further strengthen intelligence-sharing, surveillance, and on-the-ground operations.
“This historic agreement means we can go further—ramping up intelligence, surveillance, and boots on the ground to protect Britain’s borders,” he said.
According to France’s Interior Ministry, funding under the agreement will be subject to annual performance reviews, with provisions to redirect resources if results fall short of expectations.
Even without the conditional portion, the UK’s baseline contribution of €580 million represents an increase of €40 million compared to the previous arrangement.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and his UK counterpart, Shabana Mahmood, are expected to unveil further details during a visit to a proposed migrant facility at Loon-Plage near Dunkirk.
Mahmood described the pact as a “landmark deal” aimed at stopping dangerous crossings and dismantling human smuggling networks.
The renewed agreement comes amid mounting political pressure on Starmer’s government to reduce migration, particularly ahead of upcoming local elections where his Labour Party faces potential losses.
Beyond increased patrols, France plans to deploy drones, helicopters, and digital monitoring tools to intercept crossings before boats leave shore. Under international maritime law, authorities are generally limited to rescue operations once vessels have entered open waters.
Official UK data shows that 41,472 people arrived via small boats in 2025—the second-highest figure since such crossings surged in 2018. Meanwhile, at least 29 migrants are reported to have died attempting the journey that same year, according to compiled French and British figures.
French authorities also reported the arrest of around 480 human traffickers in 2025, while noting that arrivals to the UK have dropped by half in early 2026 compared to the same period last year.