Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and National Rally President Jordan Bardella signed a memorandum Friday pledging that, if their parties form governments in Britain and France, migrants crossing the English Channel illegally would be intercepted and returned to France.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and French National Rally President Jordan Bardella signed an agreement Friday outlining a joint immigration strategy that would allow Britain to return migrants crossing the English Channel illegally to France if both parties come to power.
The memorandum of understanding was unveiled at Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham, where Bardella joined Farage as both parties sought to present a coordinated approach to illegal migration between France and Britain.
Under the agreement, a future British government led by Reform would be permitted to “intercept boats which have launched from French shores and entered British territorial waters and will return the persons on board to France.”
The pact would also commit both governments to “pursuing a restrictive national immigration policy that puts an end to any incentive for illegal immigration, in particular by implementing unprecedented measures to combat illegal working, prohibiting any legal status for undocumented migrants and restricting access to welfare for illegal migrants.”
The agreement is political rather than governmental and would take effect only if Reform UK gains power in Britain and National Rally assumes control of the French government.
Bardella, a member of the European Parliament and one of National Rally’s leading figures, used his appearance in Birmingham to accuse French President Emmanuel Macron of allowing France to become a transit point for migrants seeking to enter Britain.
He said France had become a “gateway for illegal immigration into the United Kingdom.”
Bardella went further in his criticism of Macron’s immigration policies, declaring that for the French president, “mass migration is not a problem; it is a project!”
He said that if National Rally and Marine Le Pen gain power following next year’s French presidential election, their government would seek to end the continuing flow of migrant boats across the English Channel.
The proposed return policy would represent a significant change from the existing arrangements between London and Paris.
Britain has committed more than £1 billion to France for efforts intended to curb Channel crossings, but the French government under Macron has resisted policies allowing British authorities to force migrant vessels back toward French territory.
Macron’s government has argued that forced returns could endanger passengers aboard small boats.
Some migrants have reportedly threatened to throw themselves or their children overboard if French or British authorities attempt to turn their vessels back.
Supporters of a tougher policy argue that preventing migrants from successfully reaching Britain would undermine the business model of smuggling networks and reduce the incentive to attempt the crossing.
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has cited his country’s Operation Sovereign Borders as an example.
The Australian policy sharply reduced unauthorized maritime arrivals from Indonesia after the government adopted measures preventing migrants who arrived by boat from settling in Australia.
Abbott has argued that a similar approach in the Channel would also benefit France because migrants would have less incentive to travel there if they knew they could not use the country as a staging point for reaching Britain.
Bardella framed Friday’s agreement as part of a broader political partnership between the two countries’ nationalist parties.
He acknowledged the long history of competition between Britain and France while arguing that the two nations increasingly face common problems.
Britain and France have had a “turbulent” relationship marked by a “centuries-old rivalry,” Bardella said, but he argued that this has developed into a “true friendship between our peoples.”
“In the twenty-first century, I deeply believe that the United Kingdom and France will shape the future of our continent together,” he said. “We share the same values, the same concerns, and we face the same challenges!”
“Our two peoples want the same things: Borders that protect us. Work that pays. Energy that we produce ourselves. Freedom that no one can take away from us. And Nations strong enough to decide their own future.”
Reform UK also used its conference to make a separate domestic pledge to stop unauthorized Channel crossings within the first 100 days of taking office.
Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf said a Reform government would deploy the Royal Navy to intercept migrant boats and return their occupants to France.
“Once elected, a Reform government will deliver more transformative change in our first 100 days than any administration in British history: We will deploy the Royal Navy to stop the boats and return anyone attempting to cross back to France.
“We will go from having open borders, to the most secure borders on earth. We will launch the largest mass deportation operation in modern history, removing every single foreign national who entered this country illegally.”
The policy would depend heavily on French cooperation, which is why the memorandum with Bardella carries political significance for Reform.
Under the current French government, Britain has been unable to secure approval for systematic boat returns despite years of negotiations and substantial British funding for French border enforcement.
Farage and Bardella are now proposing to replace that arrangement with one based on immediate returns, tighter access to welfare and legal status, and stronger measures against illegal employment.
Whether any of those policies are implemented will depend on future election outcomes in both countries.
For now, the agreement provides a blueprint for how Reform UK and National Rally say they would jointly address the Channel migration crisis if voters give them control of their respective governments.
Original article
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