French Police Admit They’re Told Not to Stop Channel Migrant Boats, Says Shadow Home Secretary – NATIONAL NEWS
French police officers have confirmed they are under orders not to physically stop migrants launching boats for Britain, according to shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who filmed the confrontation during a visit to the French coast this week.
The exchange happened on Hardelot beach, near Boulogne, as dozens of migrants waded into the water to board a dinghy. Philp said he asked an officer directly why he wasn’t intervening to stop the group.
The officer told him their instructions were to warn migrants that the crossing was dangerous, but not to physically step in. When Philp pushed further and asked whether officers had been ordered not to act, he says he was told their job was to protect migrants, not stop them.
Footage of the confrontation on Wednesday was posted by Philp on X, and has been widely shared online.
The incident happened on a particularly busy day for crossings, with reports suggesting as many as 700 migrants made the journey in small boats, close to the highest daily total recorded so far this year.
French authorities have consistently said they avoid physical intervention once migrants reach shallow water, citing the risk of drownings. Officers have occasionally slashed dinghies with knives when they judged it safe, and France has also set up a specialist police unit aimed at intercepting smuggler-run “taxi boats” before they reach the coast.
Philp rejected the officers’ explanation, arguing that stepping into knee-deep water posed no real danger. He also referred to an incident the day before, in which he said French naval forces carried out live-fire exercises close to a fishing boat he was using to observe crossings, describing it as intimidating.
The Home Office responded by pointing to figures showing that cooperation between the UK and France has stopped more than 46,000 attempted crossings since the last general election, and disputed claims that French enforcement was failing across the board.
The row comes against the backdrop of a £650 million, three-year agreement between London and Paris, signed by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, which has increased French riot and public order policing by around 40 percent and introduced new maritime tactics to target smuggling gangs.
Despite this, more than 900 migrants have crossed in the past week alone, helped by calm seas and mild weather. So far in 2026, crossings total around 13,376, down about 45 percent on the same point last year.
Labour figures, including Andy Burnham, have pointed to the year-on-year fall as evidence that the government’s approach is working, while accepting more still needs to be done.
Philp, however, said favourable weather, rather than government policy, was the main reason crossings had been lower this year. He renewed Conservative calls for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, which he argues would allow rapid deportation of illegal arrivals.
The Home Office says removals of small-boat migrants are at record levels, with almost 70,000 people removed or deported since the last election.
However, the Centre for Migration Control has disputed that figure, describing it as “spin”. In a statement, the group said 35 percent of those counted had left the UK without officials realising, 26 percent had been paid to leave, and only 25 percent were formal deportations, two-thirds of which involved European nationals. The group said this did not amount to “control”.
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
Main image: For illustration purposes. Screengrab footage from Chris Philp MP / X
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