Outrage as France Hands Lifejackets to Channel illegal Migrants — Secret UK Plans Exposed

The French have started giving lifejackets to migrants trying to cross the English Channel, according to a fisherman who says the crisis is getting worse.

Matt Coker, a deep-sea angler, said both the UK and France seem to have accepted they can’t stop the crossings and are now focusing on making them safer.

Over 7,200 people have crossed the Channel so far this year, the highest number ever recorded in the first three months. Coker said he has seen the French navy escorting small boats through busy shipping lanes, helping them travel more safely.

He said things have gotten worse in the past six months, with smugglers now sending out many boats at once, almost every day. He also heard British and French officials speaking over the radio about handing out lifejackets. He explained that the French are giving migrants lifejackets because many don’t have them, and they are trying to avoid more tragedies. Once the migrants are picked up by the British, the French often ask for the lifejackets to be returned.

Coker told Times Radio that the French are now escorting migrant boats halfway across the Channel, where the UK Border Force takes over. He said it’s now safer to cross than ever before because people only need to make half the journey and are given safe passage the rest of the way.

He worries this may be encouraging more crossings, saying it feels like both countries have admitted they can’t stop it and are just trying to control it instead.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the French, saying they should not be helping people cross illegally. He said the UK should push France to stop migrants before they launch or intercept their boats and return them. He also blamed Prime Minister Keir Starmer for cancelling the Rwanda policy, which was meant to discourage illegal crossings.

France’s approach has changed recently. French interior minister Bruno Retailleau said that sending migrants back could help stop the problem and that a return agreement between the UK and the EU would send a strong message. He believes that if people know they will be returned, fewer will attempt the journey.

French police may start intercepting boats from the end of May when a new unit trained in public order begins patrols. Retailleau said that so far, French officers avoid taking risks at sea and mostly escort migrant boats instead. But he now believes that approach should change.

Coker warned that the crossings are now very organised. At the start, migrants would travel at night to avoid being seen. Now, boats are being launched more frequently. He described how dangerous the crossings can be, with some boats coming dangerously close to large ships, and the waves alone nearly flipping them.

Newly revealed UK documents show that the Border Force had plans to stop migrant boats mid-Channel. The idea involved one vessel approaching a dinghy and gently pushing it to change its direction, while other boats stayed nearby to help and observe.