Emmanuel Macron is sensationally set to ask for more money to intercept Channel migrants at sea.

Paris is finally planning to allow French police officers to thwart dinghies up to 300 metres from the shoreline.

But Mr Macron could ask the UK for more money – despite already being promised £480m – to cater for the reinforcements his police chiefs are claiming are necessary.

Home Office sources have told the Daily Express France is yet to spend all of the original £480m, promised by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, under a landmark agreement in 2023.

A Home Office source also told The i Paper: “We’ve been working with the French to change their maritime posture, making sure they do the interventions of taxi boats in shallow waters. We really welcome seeing this come into action in July.”

Almost 15,000 migrants have crossed the Channel this year (Image: Getty)

After years of criticism over their inaction, French interior ministry sources suggested they will target boats within 300 metres of the beaches.

This, they hope, will prevent people smugglers from using so-called taxi boats to pick up migrants waiting in the water.

Mr Macron is said to want the strategy to be ready for the Franco-British on July 8, when he will meet Sir Keir Starmer in London.

France will also introduce six new patrol boats that will intercept the “taxi-boats” and rescue migrants.

Paris has refused to allow their police officers to intercept migrants in the water because they fear it could put lies at risk.

The French weren’t ready for a surge in Channel crossings despite a new “dedicated” unit of specialist police officers being mobilised.

London and Paris agreed in February to establish the Compagnie de Marche, a group of specialist officers with “elite public order powers”.

The Compagnie de Marche will eventually be charged with intercepting boats in the water.

It comes amid widespread fury over French failures on Saturday. Anger erupted after French officers were spotted standing idly by, even taking photographs, as migrants climbed into a dinghy as 1,195 crossed the Channel.

The total is the highest total in the first five months of a calendar year.

A Border Force source told the Daily Express: “We expected the French to be ready for Saturday, it was like a millpond out there.

“The new elite force they’ve set up really needs to step up now.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs on Monday that criminal gangs will “likely” have made millions of pounds from crossings this weekend alone, and that further discussions with the French interior minister will take place this week on stronger action.

Some 14,812 migrants have crossed the English Channel this year, up from 10,448 in 2024, and nearly double the number from 2023.