Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has reported that French gendarmes are refusing to stop migrants from attempting to cross the English Channel. The observations, made near Hardelot-Plage, suggest a potential breakdown in the UK's current border enforcement agreements.
The "no intervention" orders at Hardelot-Plage
At Hardelot-Plage, located south of Boulogne, the scene described by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was one of calculated inaction. Philp reported seeing approximately 100 migrants, mostly young men from sub-Saharan Africa, waiting in the water for the arrival of a smugglers' dinghy. According to Philp, the situation was so close that he was wading in the sea just feet away from those waiting to board.
The most striking element of the report was the behavior of the French gendarmes; Philp claimed that when he spoke to the officers, they explicitly stated on camera that their orders were "not to intervene." This reported passivity occurred as migrants prepared to board what is described as a "taxi boat" expected to arrive from Dieppe. Similar scenes of migrants boarding vessels were also noted by observers at Gravelines beach.
The £662 million deal and the "smash the gangs" strategy
The reported lack of enforcement comes at a sensitive time for the Labour government's border strategy. After taking power, the administration moved quickly to scrap the previous Conservative government's Rwanda asylum deal, a plan that had taken two years to legally authorize. In its place, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has championed a £662 million agreement with the French government.
This deal is intended to facilitate a "smash the gangs" approach, which prioritizes increased police operations and law enforcement cooperation to disrupt human trafficking networks before they can reach the Channel.. However, Philp has used his observations to argue that Mahmood's deal with the French is not working as intended.
A 45 per cent dip in arrivals despite the 42,000-person record
While the reports from the French coast suggest ongoing challenges, recent statistics present a more complex picture of Channel crossings. Last year, the UK saw 42,000 arrivals, which stood as the second-highest number of crossings ever recorded. However, as the report notes, there have been 13,350 arrivals so far this year , marking a 45 per cent dip compared to the same period last year.
Analysts suggest this decline might not be solely the result of policy changes. Strong, sustained winds in the Channel throughout the winter and early spring have historically made crossings more difficult and dangerous,potentially contributing to the lower numbers seen in the early months of the year.
The mystery of the Dieppe "taxi boats" and NGO involvement
Several critical questions remain regarding the effectiveness of the current cooperation between London and Paris. It is currently unverified whether the gendarmes' reported refusal to act is a result of specific new directives or a misunderstanding of the £662 million agreement's scope. Furthermore,while Philp has alleged that various NGOs are actively facilitating illegal immigration at sites like Gravelines, these claims have not been independently confirmed by the report .
The central question for the Labour government remains whether their law enforcement-heavy strategy can truly "smash the gangs" if frontline officers are perceived to be standing down. the discrepancy between the reported police successes and the visual evidence provided by Philp suggests a significant gap in how border security is being managed on the ground.
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