Emmanuel Macron’s government has firmly rejected British proposals to deploy Border Force vessels in French territorial waters to intercept migrant boats, as at least four people died during an attempted Channel crossing off the Boulogne coast.
The diplomatic rebuff emerged as negotiations continue over renewing a multimillion-pound migrant patrol agreement between London and Paris, with the current deal—extended by two months after its March expiration—set to lapse in May whilst both sides wrangle over new terms.
French authorities branded British officers entering their territorial waters a “red line” after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed deploying vessels from Britain’s fleet of six 42-metre Border Force cutters alongside rigid inflatable boats to intercept dinghies before they reached UK waters.
The plan envisaged British crews taking migrants aboard before returning them to northern France rather than the current practice of retrieving passengers once they cross into UK territorial waters and transporting them to Dover to prevent casualties.
Details revealed by French satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné additionally disclosed British taxpayers funded 100 new police vehicles for Pas-de-Calais gendarmes—equivalent to a quarter of their total available fleet.
The diplomatic impasse forms the backdrop to today’s tragedy, where François-Xavier Lauch, Pas-de-Calais prefect, confirmed two men and two women perished after their overloaded “taxiboat”—vessels used ferrying migrants from beaches to Channel dinghies—got into difficulties approximately 7am.
Forty-two others were rescued and administered first aid, with one suffering hypothermia whilst 37 received emergency treatment. Onlookers witnessed several bodies floating near Ecault beach as a large-scale rescue operation unfolded.
“They were already quite far into the sea. The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away,” Mr Lauch stated, adding a military helicopter monitored multiple dinghies currently at sea whilst emphasising: “The responsibility lies with the smugglers.”
The fatalities represent the first deaths since 1 April when two migrants perished during another attempted crossing, bringing the year’s toll to six compared with 36 throughout 2025.
An estimated 137 migrants crossed yesterday as smugglers exploited calm weather, with French police observed standing idly whilst groups piled into dinghies off Dunkirk. Crossings have exceeded 5,000 this year.
British taxpayers have provided £658 million in security payments to France since 2018 according to House of Commons Library analysis, with the UK committing £16.5 million covering nearly 700 officers patrolling northern France during the two-month extension.
A Government spokesman stated: “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy and a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal gangs exploiting vulnerable people for profit.”
