British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, during a meeting on July 9 in London, agreed to strengthen their joint fight against illegal migration across the English Channel. This was reported by UNN with reference to Sky News.
Details
As stated in the official Downing Street announcement, the leaders agreed that countering the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings of the Channel is a "shared priority requiring shared solutions."
Starmer informed the French President about the stricter control measures taken by the British government over the past year, including a significant increase in arrests for illegal employment.
According to him, this aims to destroy the false attractiveness of Britain as a country where it is supposedly easy to find work, which is used by criminal groups to recruit migrants.
The parties also agreed on the need for "new and innovative solutions," including the creation of a new deterrent mechanism capable of breaking the business model of smuggling networks.
Details regarding the content of this "new deterrent measure" have not yet been disclosed. According to unofficial information, the parties are discussing the possibility of introducing a "one-for-one" model — deporting migrants to France in exchange for accepting asylum seekers from the French side.
Focusing on arrests, as British officials note, is intended to demonstrate to France that the UK is taking effective measures to reduce the country's attractiveness as a final destination for the migration route.
Negotiations are expected to continue at the official summit on July 10. Downing Street emphasized the "shared goal of achieving concrete progress."
Recall
The number of migrants who arrived in the UK in 2024, having crossed the English Channel in small boats, increased by a quarter compared to the previous year.
According to the French coast guard, 2024 is considered the deadliest year for crossing the English Channel: 53 people died trying to cross the world's busiest shipping lane to reach the UK.