French political leaders have admitted that hundreds of millions of pounds of British taxpayers' money allocated to stop migrants crossing the English Channel will 'not change anything.' In remarkably candid remarks, they have criticised a new £662 million deal signed between Britain and France at the end of last month, which includes at least 50 riot-trained officers on beaches and enhanced security measures.
Local Officials Speak Out
Alain Boonefaes, a deputy mayor responsible for security in Gravelines, told La Voix Du Nord newspaper: 'The money of the British will be used to secure a sector but we only move the pile of sand. It starts from everywhere. It is a subject that must be dealt with at the global level. We have no solution. There will always be an influx of people who want to join the UK.'
Antoine Benoit, the mayor of Audresselles, a commune nine miles west of Calais, was scathing about the extra officers funded by Britain. He said: 'We have gendarmes driving all night – it will not change anything.' He described himself as 'disillusioned' and added: 'There is no political treatment of the problem. We are not listened to.'
Political Reactions
The comments are likely to spark fury among British taxpayers and politicians. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp launched a fresh attack on the government, stating: 'This confirms what we have known all along. Shabana Mahmood has handed over half a billion pounds of our money to the French, most of it without performance conditions – and it will make no difference whatsoever.'
Mr Philp argued that Britain needs to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). He said: 'Last year the French stopped barely a third of embarkation attempts, and even with those the illegal immigrants were released to try again the next day. I have even witnessed with my own eyes French police ushering illegal immigrants on to buses headed towards the beaches.'
He added: 'Illegal immigrants crossing the channel are up 45 per cent since the election and Starmer has presided over more illegal crossings than any Prime Minister in history. We need to leave the ECHR so all illegal immigrants can be deported within a week of arrival. Then the crossings would soon stop. That is the Conservative plan, but the Labour government is too weak to do it.'
Local Perspectives
A Dover-based fisherman expressed scepticism about French efforts, saying: 'It won't surprise me if there is not another 200,000. I see the French navy escort the migrants over. There is no deterrent. If they wanted to, I think they could stop it tomorrow. But they don't.'
Since 2018, more than 200,000 migrants have made the journey across the Channel. The new funding aims to bolster security, but French officials' admissions suggest the problem persists without a clear solution.
