Shabana Mahmood has seen her proposal to allow British Border Force vessels to intercept and return small-boat migrants crossing the English Channel rejected by France.
The plan formed part of negotiations to renew a multimillion-pound migrant patrol agreement.
The current deal, originally set to expire in March, was extended by two months while talks continue. Under Mahmood’s proposal, British vessels would intercept small boats before they reached UK waters and return migrants to northern France.
French authorities refused, citing that such operations would require UK vessels to enter French territorial waters — a non-negotiable issue for Paris.
According to the French newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, Britain has already funded 100 police vehicles in the Pas-de-Calais region to combat illegal migration and people smuggling. Despite these measures, the two sides remain at an impasse. Britain has also pushed for a migrant detention centre in Dunkirk and increased French patrols.
Mahmood has suggested a payment-by-results model to incentivise a higher interception rate than the current 35%. France previously rejected a 80% target, according to a former Home Office source.
So far in 2026, over 5,000 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats. Home Office figures show French authorities have intercepted only 2,064 of 6,233 attempted crossings, the lowest interception rate in recent years.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “France is our most important migration partner, and together, our joint work is reducing small boat crossings. We have prevented over 42,000 attempts by illegal migrants to make the journey across the Channel since this government took office. While we finalise a new and improved UK-France deal, French law enforcement operations to stop illegal migrants in France will continue. We will do whatever it takes to restore order and control at our borders.”
The ongoing negotiations underline the challenges facing Britain in managing small boat migration while respecting French sovereignty — and highlight the growing pressure on both governments to reach a more effective agreement before the current deal expires at the end of next month.
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