England and France on the brink of a deal on migrants in the English Channel

The British Prime Minister’s Office confirmed this week that a deal with France to manage irregular migration across the English Channel is in the “final stages”, hours after Rishi Sunak met for the first time as head of the UK government. French President Emmanuel Macron.

Following the meeting, Sunak told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing UN climate summit (Cop 27) in Egypt that “there is no simple overnight solution to the complex problem” of the large number of people who cross the Channel daily. In small boats

The British prime minister said more details about the deal would be released in the coming weeks, touting the prospect of working closely with the EU to respond to illegal migration and confirming recent contacts with some European leaders.

“I have renewed hope and confidence that by working closely with our European partners we can make a difference, tackle this challenge of illegal immigration and stop illegal arrivals.”

The Elysee Palace said the two leaders had reached an agreement to “focus on coordinating efforts to address the challenge of irregular immigration” on the canal linking the south of England with the north of France.

Since the beginning of this year, nearly 40,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats, the largest number of illegal immigrants in the region since 2018, when data on the phenomenon began to be collected.