France stalling migrant deportations under new agreement
France is reportedly delaying **migrant deportations** under the new returns agreement as part of efforts to secure additional funding from the UK, reports BritPanorama.
A senior official has indicated that Paris is “dragging their feet, holding the deal hostage” to leverage increased financial support. This strategy appears aimed at obtaining more from the three-year, £476 million Sandhurst Pact, which funds French beach patrols and surveillance, and is currently under renegotiation ahead of its expiration in March.
Frustration is growing regarding the “one-in, one-out” deal agreed upon in July between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, with approximately 16,000 migrants reaching the UK since then but only 17 having been returned. In total, over 60,000 migrants have crossed since the Labour government took office.
Additionally, plans for the interception of dinghies at sea, a tactic promised during the Starmer-Macron summit, have also been dismissed by French authorities as too dangerous.
France’s human rights commission has characterized the returns scheme as “cynical and dehumanising.” Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, criticized the government for being “outfoxed by the French government in Paris,” asserting that the returns deal is lamentable and highlighting that promised interceptions near the French coast have not materialized.
Reform MP Lee Anderson added that France is exploiting “our weak leadership and pushover attitude” in this situation.
As discussions continue, the dynamics of the **migrant crisis** in the Channel remain highly contentious, intertwining with broader issues of international cooperation and domestic policy effectiveness.
This stalemate speaks not only to the complexities of managing migration but also to the shifting currents in UK–France relations, as both sides navigate the pressures of public sentiment and the imperatives of political negotiations.
