Britain must stop paying France until Paris prevents migrants from crossing the Channel, Shabana Mahmood has been told. The number of asylum seekers being intercepted has fallen despite Paris being handed more than £700m.

Research revealed 22,476 crossing attempts were stopped last year, down from 33,000 in 2022. It equates to an eye-watering almost £8,000 for each migrant blocked in 2025 after the UK coughed up £175m that year.

Border Force was overwhelmed again on Wednesday as smugglers exploited the hottest day of the year so far to launch dinghies destined for the Kent coast, carrying hundreds of people.

The French rescue ship Abeille Normandie even escorted one migrant vessel four miles into British waters because Border Force Volunteer and Border Force Typhoon were already tied up with arrivals.

It waited until the British ships were able to come and pick up the migrants on board.

Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, said: “Tory and Labour Governments have handed France £700million of taxpayer money to stop the boats full of illegals.

“Yet they are coming in record numbers. Almost 200,000 in eight years. The French are laughing at us.

“This is a complete betrayal by the British political class. They have taken money from hardworking families and handed it over for a scheme that does not work. Not a single penny more should be sent until the boats are stopped and our borders are secured.”

More than 600 migrants are feared to have crossed the Channel on Wednesday.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Cancelling the Rwanda deterrent with no replacement was a catastrophic mistake, and Labour have done nothing since but failing gimmicks.

“Other European countries have moved toward firmer enforcement and third-country processing, under Labour, Britain has travelled in the opposite direction.

“In Calais, crossings operate with regularity. French Police watch idly as tens of thousands of immigrants every year. They even show immigrants where to catch buses that head down to meet the dinghies.”

He added: “It is pathetic the French are allowing two-thirds of illegal immigrants to embark.

“We should not pay any more unless they start to take effective action.”

Migrants were detected, intercepted and brought into Ramsgate, Kent, throughout the day on Wednesday after bad weather had prevented crossings for two weeks.

A senior maritime source told GB News: “It’s quite remarkable that we are now overtaking the totals for the last two years at this point in the year, given the atrocious weather in the Channel in these first two months of 2026.

“And the fact we are seeing huge numbers already gathering in the migrant camps tells you we’re likely to be in for another record year of arrivals.”

Another 4,500 migrants are currently in makeshift camps in Calais and Dunkirk.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron faced fresh fury over the French police’s low interception rate.

Shocking analysis revealed two-thirds of crossings are successful, prompting calls for the Prime Minister to stop paying Paris.

New figures claim French authorities stopped 22,476 migrants from crossing to the UK.

But the vast majority of these are believed to be linked to dinghies sinking, their engines breaking down, overcrowding leading to chaos on the boats and bad weather.

Robert Bates, Research Director at the Centre for Migration Control said: “France has been allowed to fleece this country – receiving huge sums of money whilst doing next to nothing to stop the boats.

“The deal has been a complete disaster for Britain and has made us the laughing stock of Europe. The PM should not give them another penny until we see actual results.”

Since 2018, Britain has given France £700 million to bolster police patrols, increase surveillance and purchase new drones to detect migrants.

This included Rishi Sunak’s £480 million deal with Emmanuel Macron in 2023.

The Home Office is currently negotiating a new funding settlement with France, with the UK said to be pushing for more operations on the beaches.

But research compiled by the House of Commons Library revealed how the number being intercepted has fallen over the past five years.

In 2021, 23,923 departures were prevented. This increased to 33,000 in 2022, before dropping again to 26,000 in 2023.

The House of Commons Library said partial figures for 2024 – from May to December – revealed 21,317 were stopped from reaching the UK.

And just 22,476 were stopped as 41,472 successfully crossed the Channel.

British and French officials have repeatedly disagreed over plans to intercept boats in the water.

France has finally given police officers orders to stop dinghies in the water. But they have only done so once.

French officers stopped a so-called taxi boat on the Aa canal in Gravelines in January after admitting the smugglers’ tactics had been hugely successful.

Official documents revealed 81% of taxi-boats were successful last year.

Under the terms of engagement, gendarmes will only intervene to stop “taxi-boats” before migrants get on.

And Border Force chiefs previously drew up plans to push migrant boats back.

Marked ‘Official Sensitive’, they revealed how a Border Force vessel could draw up alongside the migrant vessel before knocking the front portion of it using tactical contact to slowly turn it around whilst the engine was running.

This would be repeated until the dinghy was heading back into French territorial waters.

And Border Force drew up plans for two vessels to box a migrant boat in on both sides and guide it back towards French territorial waters.

This would have been implemented if the asylum seekers refused to comply with requests to turn around.

But Gerald Darmanin, who was France’s Interior Minister between July 2020 and September 2024, rejected the plans, claiming they would put lives at risk at sea.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “This Government is bearing down on small boat crossings.

“We have stopped 40,000 crossing attempts since this Government came into office through our joint work with the French.

“We have removed or deported almost 60,000 people who were here illegally.

“Our pilot deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

“The Home Secretary has also announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.”