France has agreed to draft a strategy by summer to begin intercepting migrant boats in the English Channel, following backlash over images showing French police standing idle as people smugglers launched dinghies from northern beaches.
This move comes amid escalating pressure from British officials after more than 1,000 migrants crossed into the UK in a single day over the weekend. According to reports, the French government is expanding its naval patrols and may soon begin targeting the so-called “taxi boats” before they leave French shores.
Sources say the plan is being prepared ahead of a Franco-British summit in London on July 8, where President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet UK leaders. The new approach signals a significant shift in policy, driven by mounting criticism and diplomatic urgency.
The row intensified on Saturday when footage emerged of French officers watching passively as migrants, including women and children, boarded small boats on a beach in Gravelines, located between Calais and Dunkirk. Some authorities were later seen escorting the vessels out to sea rather than intervening.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey sharply criticised the lack of action, stating during the weekend that Britain had “lost control of its borders.” He called out the French government’s delay in implementing measures that had already been agreed upon with the new Labour-led administration.
“They’re not doing it, but for the first time in years, we’ve got the level of cooperation needed… We’ve got the agreement that they will change the way they work, and our concentration now is to push them to get that into operation so they can intercept these smugglers and stop these people in the boats, not just on the shore.”
Defence Secretary John Healey
Migrant Boats Crossings Add To Border Pressure
On Saturday alone, a record 1,195 people arrived in the UK in 19 separate dinghies, bringing the total number of Channel crossings for the year to 14,812 — the highest on record. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has since echoed the calls for urgent French action, demanding that interceptions begin “as swiftly as possible.”
French officials say they are reviewing legal barriers that have previously prevented at-sea interceptions. A source from France’s interior ministry said: “We are aware of the high stakes involved in interventions at sea and of the need to adapt our doctrine of action.”
Currently, French patrols can only intervene when a vessel is already in distress due to “criminal liability issues associated with any interception carried out for any other reason.”
However, plans are in motion to alter this framework. The goal is to allow French authorities to intervene in shallow waters — up to 300 meters from the coastline — and intercept boats while remaining in compliance with international maritime law, particularly the Montego Bay Convention.
The source added that the Interministerial Committee for Immigration Control (CiCI) has tasked the General Secretariat for the Sea (SGMer) with developing a formal proposal by summer. This proposal would provide “shared guidelines” to be announced at the July summit between UK and French officials.
This new policy direction would also align with a £480 million deal struck between the UK and France to curb illegal Channel crossings. As diplomatic negotiations ramp up, both governments appear to be preparing for a more aggressive stance at sea to tackle human smuggling and reduce dangerous crossings.
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