French political chaos could put UK migrant crackdown at risk
- Reports suggest that France may retract its pledge to forcefully turn back small boats in the Channel, potentially undermining Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to curb migrant arrivals in the UK.
- The possible reversal is linked to political turmoil within the French government, according to sources speaking to the BBC.
- The initial agreement, announced by then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in April, stipulated that France would intervene against migrants once they were in the water.
- Both Ms Cooper and the French interior minister involved in the original agreement have since left their government positions.
- The UK government, represented by Children's Minister Josh MacAlister and the Home Office, has reiterated its commitment to repeatedly return migrants who cross illegally.