Written question asked by Sarah Pochin (Reform UK) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Anna Turley (Labour) on Friday, 11 September 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of agreements with France in reducing small boat crossings.

Answer: The Government keeps the effectiveness of its cooperation with France under constant review. The UK-France Border Security Partnership agreed in April 2026 significantly increases law enforcement activity, intelligence sharing and maritime disruption to tackle organised immigration crime. Joint action is already delivering results, with French law enforcement having prevented more than 48,000 attempted crossings since the election. French authorities report that 61% of crossing events were prevented between 27 April and 2 August, an increase of 5% on the same period last year. In four separate weeks, every attempted crossing event was prevented. The agreement includes robust monitoring and evaluation arrangements, with funding linked to performance and a focus on delivering measurable reductions in illegal migration.

Secondary information