Sir Keir Starmer’s “reset” with Europe has seen French police officers use knives to puncture migrant dinghies off for the first time, according to Downing Street. Number 10 said reports French police officers had taken such decisive action was a “significant moment” that could have “a major impact” on smuggling gangs.
A spokesman said: “We welcome action from French law enforcement to take action in shallow waters, and what you have seen in recent weeks is a toughening of their approach.” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she welcomed the reports, adding she had been “working very closely with the French interior minister” to see the regulations around policing amended “as swiftly as possible”.
Despite Downing Street welcoming the move, some have claimed that the tactic is not new and that it comes with risks. Kate O’Neill, advocacy coordinator at Project Play, said: “This is not a new tactic … it’s something that has been happening for a long time in Calais and surrounding areas.”
She also warned it was a “dangerous” tactic as children were “often in the middle of the boats”.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “No government has been able to get this level of co-operation with the French. That is important. We are looking to see France change its maritime tactics, and that is down to the Prime Minister’s efforts to reset our relationship across Europe.”
Despite Sir Keir’s pre-election pledge to “smash the gangs”, some 20,600 people have made the journey so far this year, up 52% on the same period in 2024. Downing Street acknowledged that the numbers “must come down”, but could not guarantee that they would in the next year.
On Friday, the Home Secretary said part of the reason for the increase in crossings was a rise in the number of people being crammed onto each boat. She suggested that all migrants who arrive on an overcrowded boat where a child has died should face prosecution.
Ms Cooper told the BBC’s Today programme it was “totally appalling” that children were being “crushed to death on these overcrowded boats, and yet the boat still continues to the UK”.
The Government has already included a new offence of “endangering life at sea” in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill currently making its way through Parliament.