Migrants cast shadow on Starmer-Macron summit

Straits Times

3 days ago

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Rescue personnel bringing migrants ashore on Aug 12, 2023, after a boat carrying migrants from France sank in the English Channel.
LONDON - Britain and France are friends again following the rancour of Brexit, but the record number of irregular migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats remains a major point of friction.
The issue will feature during a state visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron that starts on July 8 and new measures to curb the dangerous journeys are expected to be announced on July 10 following talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
More than 21,000 migrants have crossed from northern France to south-east England in rudimentary vessels this year, providing a massive headache for Mr Starmer as the far right soars in popularity.
Images of overloaded vessels leaving French beaches with law enforcement officers appearing to just watch on exasperate British politicians and the unforgiving tabloid press.
'We pay for French cops' buggy, 4x4s and drones, but migrants still sailing,' complained The Sun newspaper on July 2, in a reference to the so-called Sandhurst Treaty.
The 2018 agreement, that runs until 2027, sees Britain finance actions taken in France to stop the migrants.
Mr Starmer, who led his Labour party to a sweeping victory in an election last year following 14 years of Conservative rule, has vowed to 'take back control' of Britain's borders.
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One in, one out
But in the first six months of 2025, there was a 48 per cent increase in the number of people arriving on small boats compared to last year, with the government blaming extended dry weather.
The annual record of 45,774 reached in 2022 could be broken this year, which would deal a massive blow to Mr Starmer as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's Reform UK party leads national polls.
A new border control law going through Britain's parliament would give law enforcement counter-terror style powers to combat people-smuggling gangs.
Britain has also signed agreements with countries on migrant transit routes, including Iraq, Serbia, and Germany.
But Mr Starmer needs strengthened cooperation with France, and key announcements were expected following their talks.
Under pressure from London, Paris is considering tweaking its laws to allow police to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres from France's shoreline. Currently, French law enforcement only intervene at sea to rescue passengers at risk of drowning.
The two governments are also working on a migrant exchange programme.
A pilot project would see Britain capable of returning to France someone who has crossed the Channel by boat, according to several media sources.
France in exchange could deport an equivalent number of people to Britain, provided they have the right to live there, such as through family reunification.
Paris wants to expand the agreement to the European Union so that readmissions can be shared among several countries.
According to Britain's interior ministry, migrants who crossed the Channel between March 2024 and March 2025 were mainly Afghans, Syrians, Eritreans, Iranians, and Sudanese.
French officials have claimed that Britain attracts migrants because the lack of a national identity card makes it easier to work illegally.
Mr Starmer's government has cracked down on illegal work – arrests increased by 51 per cent from July 2024 to the end of May, compared to the previous year, it says.
Seeking 'safety'
But Peter Walsh, a researcher at Oxford University's Migration Observatory, doubts that it is easier to work illegally in Britain than in France.
'You have to demonstrate that you have the right to work. If an employer doesn't carry out those checks, then they can face serious sanctions, fines and imprisonment. That's the same in France and the UK,' he told AFP.
Mr Walsh believes the English language and presence of family members in Britain are key attractions, as well as Britain's departure from the European Union.
'If you've claimed asylum in the EU and been refused, you can actually come to the UK and have another shot because we will not know that you've actually been refused in the EU,' he said.
Ms Rishan Tsegay, 26, originally from Eritrea, arrived in England in 2015 hidden in the back of a lorry. She fled from Sudan through Libya, Italy and France.
Last year, she became a British citizen and now works as a nurse.
Ms Tsegay says there is a 'hostile environment' towards irregular migrants in Britain, saying they were often presented as 'criminals' rather than people 'contributing to society'.
She wants Mr Starmer and Mr Macron to focus on improving safe routes for migrants fleeing war-torn countries as a way to stop them risking the Channel crossings.
'These people come here to seek safety,' Ms Tsegay insisted. AFP