UK signs new deal with EU to tackle small boat crossings

The UK has signed a new deal with the EU's border agency to work more closely together to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.

The agreement with Frontex is intended to lead to more sharing of information and expertise.

It is the latest in a series of measures aimed at improving cooperation in tackling illegal migration.

Last year, nearly 30,000 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK from France - down a third on 2022.

However, the total was still the second highest figure on record.

The deal includes training for both the UK and EU's border agencies to learn from successful tactics overseas, collaboration on the development of new technologies, and the deployment of staff on both sides to help coordinate efforts to stop crossings.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said: "Organised immigration crime and people smuggling are global challenges that require shared solutions and ambitions.

"Our landmark working arrangement between the UK and Frontex is another crucial step in tackling illegal migration, securing our borders and stopping the boats."

The home secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the deal focused on making it easier to share information and work together on operations, rather than being about returning migrants to the countries they came from.

However, he said the government was looking at signing returns agreements with more countries, following a deal with Albania which was reached in December 2022.

Lucy Moreton, from the ISU, a union representing border force staff, said that, by not including a returns agreement, the deal "was not looking at the larger part of the migration issue".

She told Today it also did not confirm the UK would regain access to the Eurodac database, which was lost after Brexit.

The database stores the fingerprints of asylum seekers and migrants who have entered a European country, which Ms Moreton said would help returns by proving individuals had rightful residence in other countries.

The agreement states that generally both the UK and the EU will cover their own costs for activities carried out under it. However, it says the UK will pay Frontex for certain activities, with the details to be decided in a separate agreement.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made "stopping the boats" one of his five key priorities last year.

So far, 1,716 people have made the dangerous crossing this year, down from 2,720 in the same period in 2023.

The deal follows an agreement in May between Mr Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen cooperation between UK and EU border agencies in tackling small boat crossings.

In March, the UK also signed an agreement with France, which included paying almost £500m over three years to fund extra law enforcement officers and a new detention centre in the country.