UK Border Security Command officials announced on August 7 that French officials were using all legal methods available to them to combat irregular crossing to Britain — including interceptions at sea.

Despite a number of limitations on such interceptions under French law, maritime authorities in France have stopped boats in the Channel on ten occasions during the spring months, they said.

British border officials stressed that their French counterparts had a duty to assess each situation involving migrants according to what dangers they might involve — both for those trying to cross the Channel and the authorities trying to intervene as well as members of the public.

The announcement came in response to recent claims by various opposition figures in the UK, casting doubt over the UK's partnership with France in the fight against irregular migration, and claiming it is ineffective.

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Dangers involved in dealing with criminal groups

The director of the maritime and small boats unit at the UK's Border Security Command, Charlie Eastaugh, commented that French officers had been working tirelessly "to disrupt launches before they reach UK shores."

"Their efforts include facing violent people with weapons, dispersing huge crowds, arresting smugglers, seizing equipment and collating vital evidence to help our prosecutions," Eastaugh explained.

"The incidents we have seen in the Channel over the last few weeks are a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting people for profit. It is easy to look at out-of-context images and think little is happening to stop these crossings – this is simply not true."

Most recently, two migrant boats were stopped with the help of French border units on August 2, with one of the boats being intercepted at sea and the other one halted before departing from the French coast.

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Opposition claims French officials 'wave people on to boats'

Britain's Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp from the Conservative Party was among the politicians who had recently raised serious allegations against the perceived inactivity of French authorities — despite receiving hundreds of millions of euros from the UK each year to help stop migrants.

Philp publicly accused French officials of remaining idle and letting migrant boats depart from the country's northern shores, not intervening at any point — even when lives are in danger.

During a visit to the northern French town of Calais, which has become one of the main points of departure for irregular migrants over the past decade, Philp alleged that an official with whom he had interacted had relayed to him that authorities had little leeway in dealing with migrants seeking to embark on perilous sea journeys across the Channel.

"Our order is to let them go. We just have to say to them, 'Don’t do that. It’s dangerous,'" Philp quoted the official as saying.

His criticism was echoed by representatives of the far-right Reform UK party, which is strongly positioned against immigration.

Reform MP Lee Anderson went as far as claiming that French police were "literally waving these people on to boats."

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British public unimpressed by dipping arrival rates

Immigration has become the biggest political issue in the UK, with the rate of migrant arrivals apparently falling too slowly for much of the public to support various approaches put forward in recent years by the country's two main parties — Labour and the Conservatives.

Many voters appear to have migrated to the right-wing Reform UK party, which promises to put a quick end to mass immigration, despite the fact that some of its pledges have been shown to be contrary to existing laws.

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Until recently, polls have shown that a majority of voters would cast their ballot for the party, which originally was launched as the Brexit Party in 2018 and later rebranded itself as Reform UK in 2021. However, allegations surrounding financial contributions to the party have beset its leader Nigel Farage, he denies all wrongdoing, but the popularity of his party has dropped in the most recent surveys.

Small boat arrivals have meanwhile also dropped significantly, with 43 percent fewer people managing to reach British shores to date this year when compared to the same period in 2025.

Last year, nearly 21,700 migrants succeeded arriving in the UK by irregular means, compared to fewer than 12,500 so far in 2026.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has, however, not commented on the trend, as the summer months continue to boast clement weather conditions, which typically result in more crossings than during the rest of the year. 

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New PM Burnham pledges 'relentless' campaign against smugglers

The UK government attributed the drop to a cooperation strategy with France, which has now been in place for several years — first launched during a consecutive string of previous Conservative governments, and later renewed under Labour, which has been in government for the past two years.

Under the scheme, the UK pays the French government to boost its border defenses along its northern shores; under the terms of the renewal of the deal, signed in April, the UK agreed to pay France the equivalent of 770 million euros over the next three years to support Britain's "stop the boats" initiative.

New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham meanwhile has also pledged to prioritize the issue of irregular migration; he vowed to embark on a "relentless" approach involving the strengthening of border enforcement authorities, a greater crack-down on smuggling gangs, and deepening partnerships with the UK's partners in Europe.

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Migrants risking longer — and riskier — journeys to reach Britain

Migrant smugglers meanwhile are constantly adapting to the changing realities on the ground.

With increasingly restrictive policies introduced on either side of the Channel in recent years, the criminal gangs that organize irregular crossings have moved farther west on the northern French coast, with some boats now setting off from south of the town of Boulogne-sur-Mer.

These new routes are twice as long as the journey from Calais to Dover across the shortest stretch of the English Channel, and filled with many more dangers in what is one of the busiest shipping channels in the world.

Recently, there have even been departures from the region around Dieppe, making the irregular journey to the UK about 110 kilometers long — nearly three times the distance of the Calais-Dover route.

With the journeys becoming longer and riskier, people smugglers have also been packing more migrants on unseaworthy dinghies; last week, more than 170 people had to be rescued from a single boat heading for the UK after their vessel caught fire.

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