French presidential hopeful Édouard Philippe has threatened to withdraw from key border agreements with Britain unless the UK changes its immigration policies and agrees to cover the full cost of France’s efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel.
Philippe, a former centre-Right prime minister under President Emmanuel Macron, made the remarks during a visit to Zuydcoote, near Dunkirk, where he met police officers and local mayors.
According to The Times, he said that if elected president next year, he would seek a major review of France’s relationship with Britain over the handling of illegal migration.
He also criticised what he described as an inconsistent approach by the British government, arguing that French authorities were being expected to prevent Channel crossings while UK immigration policies continued to encourage migrants to make the journey.
Touquet Treaty Faces Possible Withdrawal
Philippe said France should renegotiate the Touquet treaty, which allows British and French authorities to conduct border checks on each other’s territory.
Under the agreement, British police officers are permitted to operate in Calais and other coastal areas of northern France.
He warned that France could terminate the arrangement if Britain refused to meet its demands on border enforcement funding and immigration rules.
“I consider the agreement we have with [Britain] to be unsatisfactory.
We must obtain more from the English, renegotiate the Touquet treaty and, if we do not get what we want, terminate it,” he said.
Philippe also questioned the financial arrangement between the two countries, insisting that Britain’s contribution did not adequately cover the expenses incurred by French authorities.
He said it was unacceptable for the UK to maintain immigration rules that, in his view, encouraged migrants to cross the Channel while France bore much of the responsibility for preventing departures.
Britain Accused of Encouraging Channel Crossings
The former prime minister described Britain’s treatment of migrants as an “extremely shocking situation”, claiming that almost two-thirds of people arriving in small boats receive residency rights or asylum.
He further argued that some migrants who are instructed to leave Britain are still able to remain in the country and continue working.
Philippe said these arrangements placed an unfair burden on France, whose authorities are responsible for policing much of the coastline used by people attempting to reach Britain.
He also called on the European Union to adopt a similar position towards the UK, claiming that Britain’s immigration policies were contributing to problems in Belgium and the Netherlands.
£662m Border Agreement Comes Under Scrutiny
The criticism comes despite a three-year agreement signed by Britain and France in April, under which the UK committed £662million towards efforts to prevent migrants from launching small boats from northern French beaches.
The majority of small boats attempting to cross the Channel depart from this stretch of coastline.
The British contribution covers approximately half the cost of France’s border enforcement operation, with the French government providing the remaining funding.
Philippe’s demand that Britain pay the entire cost represents a challenge to the existing financial arrangement between the two countries.
More Than 10,000 Migrants Cross Channel Under Burnham
The latest figures have added to pressure on the British government over the number of migrants arriving through the Channel.
More than 10,000 small-boat migrants have reached Britain since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, with Home Office figures recording 1,670 arrivals between Thursday and Sunday last week.
The latest increase ended a three-week period without recorded crossings.
A total of 263 migrants arrived on Thursday, followed by 671 on Friday and another 259 on Saturday.
Sunday saw a further 477 people arrive in seven boats, taking the overall figure under Burnham’s premiership to 10,136.
The arrivals represent an average of 96.5 migrants per day, exceeding the daily averages recorded under former prime ministers Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson and Theresa May.
The figure remains slightly below the average during Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, when 77,183 migrants arrived at a daily average of 103.5.
Labour Revises Immigration Reform Proposals
The latest Channel arrivals come as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced revised immigration proposals on Monday.
Her plans, which included requiring low-skilled foreign workers to wait significantly longer before qualifying for settled status in Britain, were diluted following opposition from Labour’s left wing.
The proposals had been the subject of an internal party dispute, forcing changes to the original plans.
Conservatives Criticise Government’s Border Strategy
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the government’s handling of illegal migration and the changes made to its settlement proposals.
He accused Burnham of failing to address the problem and argued that weakening the proposed immigration reforms would maintain incentives for people to enter Britain illegally.
Philp called for the deportation of illegal immigrants and an end to benefits for foreign nationals, arguing that people who break immigration laws should not receive advantages from doing so.
He also said the Conservatives would pursue a border strategy involving Britain’s withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the deportation of all illegal immigrants.
