Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with her French counterpart on (a) preventing human traffickers operating in France sending migrants to the UK across the channel and (b) increasing security in the Port of Calais.

The Home Secretary maintains regular contact with her French counterpart, Interior Minister Darmanin, on the issue of illegal migration and small boats crossings. They last met in person at the G7 Interior & Security Minister’s meeting in September.

The UK and France maintain a longstanding relationship on tackling illegal migration at the shared border; the UK has committed several funding packages to supporting this work. Most recently, a bilateral funding arrangement was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021. Aspects of this funding are invested in infrastructure to increase border security at key border crossings points along the Channel coastand as a result Minister Darmanin has committed to stopping 100% of small boats crossing the Channel illegally.