LONDON: Britain and France agreed Tuesday to extend for two months a migration deal just hours before it was set to expire in order to complete tough negotiations, UK officials said.
Under a 2018 accord Britain agreed to finance actions taken in France to bolster the borders and stop migrants leaving for the UK.
The deal was prolonged for three years in March 2023, when London agreed to pay Paris £476 million (around $570 million) over three years to crack down on migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. It was due to expire at midnight Tuesday.
“France and the UK are united in efforts to stop illegal small boat crossings,” the interior ministry said in a statement Tuesday, adding some 42,000 illegal migrants had been stopped from making the risky Channel crossing to UK shores.
“While positive negotiations on finalizing a new and improved UK-France deal continue, operational contracts have been extended to deliver key French law enforcement and surveillance capabilities for a further two months, backed by £16.2 million in UK funding.”
