Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, warned it is “not in the French interest to do anything to deter” small boat crossings.
France wants extra money to stop migrant dinghies (Image: Getty)
Even more migrants will cross the Channel if Labour fails to agree a new police funding deal with France, immigration officials warned.
Lucy Moreton, of the Immigration Services Union, said it is “not in the French interest to do anything to deter” small boat crossings.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is facing a race against time to agree a new deal with Paris to pay for operations in northern France.
Ms Mahmood is rumoured to be pushing for the new package, set to last until 2029, to be linked to France stopping more boats. A source said the Labour Home Secretary wants “more bang for our buck”, with around two-thirds of crossings currently successful.
But a Home Office source said there were “multiple factors” delaying a deal, adding: “Negotiations are ongoing. We’re working right up to the deadline but we’re determined to get an agreement that will work. But patrolling the beaches in the interim period is a matter for the French.”
A Home Office team is being sent to Paris this week to haggle over renewing Rishi Sunak‘s £475 million deal, which expires on Tuesday next week.
A Home Office official who worked on the previous deal told The Times: “It would make a bad situation even worse. One of the few good things about the efforts to stop small boats and smash the gangs is there has been effective and regular funding for the French.
“Negotiations can be pretty tetchy and end up being finalised later than you want. It’s rather like the EU talks, they go to the wire because of the money and a deal only gets finalised when ministers get involved.”
Lucy Moreton, professional officer at the Immigration Services Union, said: “It’s not in the French interest to do anything to deter the migrants from leaving France. They’re going in the right direction for the French and we can’t blame them for that.
“If the French stop patrols, then on calm days we’ll see a significant increase in crossings and the more people that cross, the more dangerous it is because it’s statistically more likely that people die.”
Another former Home Office official who worked on previous agreements said: “The French always ask for more. They’re notorious for dragging this out until the last minute but when push comes to shove they’ll want the money and it will be very hard for the British not to agree a deal so it will get signed in the end.
“But there’ll be a worry that if it’s not sorted yet then what happens to the patrols and drone support in the interim.”
Shocking analysis has 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.
Britain has given France £700 million to bolster police patrols, increase surveillance and purchase new drones to detect migrants since 2018.
France has finally given police officers to stop dinghies in the water. But they have only done so once.
French officials have been accused of running a “life jacket delivery service” after vessels were spotted pulling alongside migrant dinghies to dish out the vests.