The United Kingdom and France have agreed to a new three-year deal to curb undocumented migrant crossings in the English Channel.
Under the agreement, France will increase patrols off its coast, increasing the number of officers by more than 50% to 1,400 by 2029, while the UK will provide up to €766 million ($897 million) in funding.
About a quarter of the amount will be paid only if the measures prove effective.
Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez were expected to sign the three-year deal in France on Thursday.
What will the new UK-France border security agreement include?
- Deploying law enforcement, intelligence and military personnel to beaches in northern France
- A new 50-strong riot police unit, expanded intelligence and judicial teams, and additional maritime patrols
- Advanced surveillance including drones, two helicopters and advanced camera systems
- A new ship and more than 20 additional maritime officers to stop boats at sea
Small boat will cross in 2025
The agreement renews the Sandhurst Treaty, as London pressures Paris to do more to prevent dangerous crossings.
Nearly 41,000 people crossed the Channel from France to the UK in small boats in 2025, the highest number since large-scale crossings were first detected in 2018.
This has prompted criticism from the UK that France is doing too little to stop undocumented migrants leaving French shores, with smugglers and migrants taking even greater risks to avoid detection.
French authorities say arrivals to Britain have halved since the start of 2026 compared with the same period last year, and about 480 smugglers were arrested in 2025.
The British government said more than 42,000 crossings have been attempted since July 2024, through joint work with France.
Edited by: Carl Sexton