Suella Braverman has signed a new deal with France as part of an historic crackdown on migrant crossings which will see a boost to beach patrols and British staff based in French control rooms for the first time.
The 72m euro (£63m) deal, described by prime minister Rishi Sunak as “a foundation” for more co-operation in coming months, was finalised by the home secretary and her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin on Monday morning.
Under the new deal with Paris, France will commit to increase numbers of officers patrolling beaches on the Normandy coast by 40 per cent in the hope of detecting and disrupting embarkations.
And, for the first time, UK Border Force officials will be embedded in French control centres to observe operations and share intelligence.
Earlier on Monday, foreign secretary James Cleverly said the government must “get a grip on the international trade in human misery”, with particular emphasis on people traffickers who he said “are putting lives at risk by facilitating the illegal crossing of migrants into the UK and around the world.”
