Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the response by the government of France to migrants crossing the English Channel.

The UK maintains regular contact with the Government of France on our joint cooperation to tackle illegal migration at the shared border. The UK has committed several funding packages to support this work, including a bilateral arrangement which was reached between the UK and France on 20 July 2021.

Last year’s investment saw the French doubling the numbers of officers patrolling beaches. Our partnership with France has helped stop over 29,000 illegal crossings since the start of the year - almost twice the number at this stage last year.

The work of the UK-France Joint Intelligence Cell has supported more than 500 arrests and dismantled 55 organised crime groups since it was established in July 2020.

We remain committed to supporting the French through our joint response which we recognise requires long term and ambitious action. We continue to strengthen our productive and constructive relationship with the French Government to respond to new challenges.