UK and France strike new £662m small boats deal

UK and France strike new £662m small boats dealJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSima KotechaSenior UK correspondentGetty ImagesChannel crossings have increased over the past three years, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025Riot-trained police will be sent to beaches in France as part of a new £662m deal with the UK to stop illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel.Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to sign the three-year agreement with France on Thursday, which will see at least 50 police officers, each trained in "riot and crowd control tactics", drafted in to tackle violence and "hostile crowds".The deal will also involve France deploying millions of pounds worth of drones, two new helicopters, and a new camera system to track down and intercept people smugglers and illegal migrants.Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty ImagesHome Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to sign the three-year agreement with France on ThursdayFor the first time, ministers have said around £100m of UK funding could be redirected or withdrawn after a year, if French authorities do not stop enough people making the journey.Speaking ahead of the new deal being signed, Mahmood said: "Our work with the French has stopped tens of thousands of illegal migrants boarding boats headed to Britain."But we must do more. This landmark deal will stop illegal migrants making the perilous journey and put people smugglers behind bars."The Conservatives accused the government of handing over "half a billion pounds of our money with no conditions at all".Crossings in the Channel have increased over the past three years, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025. This has prompted criticism that enforcement by French authorities has got worse.While some UK politicians argue France should be doing more, its government has said police are intercepting boats at sea, aiming to stop them before migra...