Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 18, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
France plans to intercept UK-bound migrant boats as Channel crossings rise. New measures will be discussed at the U.K.-France Summit.
PARIS (Reuters) -Faced with a growing number of Channel migrant crossings, France hopes to stop more small boats from reaching Britain by changing its rules of engagement to intercept vessels, France's interior ministry has said.
France and Britain hope to unveil the measures at next month's U.K.-France Summit, according to a French interior ministry document seen by Reuters.
The number of migrants arriving in the UK via the Channel had risen by 42% this year compared with 2024 due to favourable weather conditions, and new techniques to pack boats more tightly, France's interior ministry said.
French authorities are currently only able to save migrants if they encounter life-threatening danger at sea. The change in rules would allow authorities to intercept small boats up to 300 metres from shore.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said in a statement after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Canada this week that migration should be a key focus at the July summit given the deteriorating situation in the Channel.
Ahead of the summit, Macron will be in Britain for a state visit, during which he will meet with King Charles.
Ties between France and Britain have improved since Starmer took office last year, brought closer by shared concerns over Russian aggression toward Ukraine and the need to re-arm Europe as U.S. President Donald Trump plots a more isolationist position for the world's largest economy.
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, editing by Ed Osmond)
France hopes to change its rules of engagement to intercept small boats heading to the UK, aiming to stop more crossings in the Channel.
The number of migrants arriving in the UK via the Channel has risen by 42% this year compared to 2024, attributed to favorable weather conditions and new techniques for packing boats.
The new measures are expected to be unveiled at the upcoming UK-France Summit next month.
Currently, French authorities can only save migrants if they encounter life-threatening danger at sea.
Ties between France and Britain have improved since Keir Starmer took office, driven by shared concerns over Russian aggression and the need to re-arm Europe.
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