A former UK border chief has explained one tactic that could be used to slash small boat crossings.
An MP from Emmanuel Macron’s party has said Brexit has exacerbated migrants crossings to the UK (Image: Getty)
France needs to show it is more willing to stop migrant boats crossing the English Channel, a former border chief has said, as Emmanuel Macron’s party blames an increase in numbers on Brexit. Former Director General of the UK’s Border Force, Tony Smith, told the BBC‘s Today programme this morning that the French have “always refused to intervene” at sea, which effectively means boats “only need to get waterborne in quite shallow waters”.
He explained that he would like to see the French intercept the boats as they are “brought round from inland waterways” before they reach the open sea – smugglers’ “latest tactic” – before they get to beaches, as the technology, such as floating barriers, is available to do this. The former border boss added that there needs to be a “very clear political will from the French that they are seriously wanting to stop the boats”. At the moment, he said, French police are “standing by” as individuals are running across beaches and getting into vessels.
French MP Eleonore Caroit appeared on the Today programme (Image: Getty)
Eleonore Caroit, an MP from President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party, claimed that French officials share Brits’ frustration, insisting that the “first victim” of people smuggling to Britain is the north of the country, including a “totally unbearable” situation Calais and other cities.
She added: “The numbers are increasing, but they have been increasing since Brexit, after the UK is no longer part of the Dublin [III] Regulation, and has a very weak asylum policy.”
The 2013 agreement aimed to ensure that asylum applications are handled more efficiently by making it so that individuals did not submit multiple claims in different member states.
Ms Caroit added that it is “unfair” to suggest that there is a lack of will in France to intercept vessels, but she added that there need to be more co-operation and tools.
“It is true that once the boats are in the water, it is impossible for the French policemen to actually intercept them,” she said.
A legal change on this front, “could make a difference”, the politician then suggested.
Some 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats on Saturday, according to Home Office data, and Sir Keir Starmer has signalled that it is his duty to ensure no one is crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Daily crossings topping a thousand in a day for the first time in 2025 has prompted Defence Secretary John Healey to claim Britain had “lost control” of its borders over the last five years.
He told journalists: “In relation to border security, I want to be really clear: nobody should be making that journey across the Channel and it’s our duty to make sure that we ensure that they don’t.
“We are working very closely with our counterparts in France and elsewhere to take further action in northern France, and of course, we are giving enhanced powers to our own law enforcement through the Borders Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.”
