A group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel to reach Britain, in Gravelines, near Calais, France, 27 September 2025;
Credit: Reuters/Abdul Saboor/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - On Wednesday 22 April 2026, the United Kingdom (UK) said it would pay France up to £660 million (approx. €761 million) under a three-year border security deal to curb illegal migrant crossings of the Channel, with part of the funding contingent on results.
Around 41,000 people crossed the Channel to England in small boats in 2025, near the record set in 2022, official data show.
Some £500 million will be used to boost enforcement on beaches in northern France, including the deployment of nearly 1,100 law enforcement, intelligence and military personnel. A further £160 million will be paid if the new tactics are judged to be successful at stopping migrants. If not, funding will stop after one year.
The deal replaces a previous three-year funding deal, worth around £480 million when agreed in 2023, which expired earlier this year.
The new deal includes a new 50-strong riot police unit, expanded intelligence and judicial police teams, and additional maritime patrols.
Surveillance measures include drones, two helicopters and enhanced camera systems. France would also deploy a new vessel and more than 20 additional maritime officers to intercept boats at sea.
The British government said joint work with France had already halted more than 42,000 attempted crossings since Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party took office in July 2024.
