France is getting worse at stopping migrants illegally crossing the Channel, damning figures have revealed.
Just 68 migrants were prevented from crossing in the week commencing March 9, compared to 357 who successfully made the trip - just 19 per cent.
This marks the worst-performing week for the French authorities this year. The first quarter of 2026 also represents a decline from last year's figures.
French interceptions peaked at just over 50 per cent in the weeks following Rishi Sunak's initial £478million deal in 2023. Last year, this figure had dropped to 35 per cent.
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Analysis by The Sun also reveals French authorities have had a worse start to 2026 than 2025.
In the first 11 weeks of 2025, 4,395 migrants arrived, while 3,227 were halted, representing a ratio of 1.36 to one.
In comparison, this year the ratio sits at 1.85 to one, with 3,457 arriving and just 1,865 stopped.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "The blame for the increase should lie squarely at Shabana Mahmood’s door."
France is getting worse at stopping migrants illegally crossing the Channel, damning figures have revealed
|GETTY
GB News exclusively revealed on Monday that almost 1,000 small boat migrants had crossed the Channel over the course of the last seven days.
That includes 270 who made the illegal journey on Monday, following the good weather.
A total of 17 small boats made it across to the UK side of the English Channel since last Wednesday, due to an improvement in weather conditions.
The boats carried a total of 982 migrants, according to GB News provisional figures.
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GB News exclusively revealed on Monday that almost 1,000 small boat migrants had crossed the Channel over the course of the last seven days
|REUTERS
It comes as UK officials are expected in Paris to renew terms on the near-£500million deal with France for migrant patrols off the border.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is pushing for stricter terms; specifically, a payment-by-results model in which British funds would be directly linked to the number of crossings French authorities intercept.
Downing Street said it was seeking to secure "long-term value for money" from any new arrangement, after the previous package funded additional patrols and infrastructure on the French coast, including plans for a new detention centre.
Currently, Britain covers almost two-thirds of the £160million annual costs.
While France is said to have agreed in principle to the new approach, sources believe it still resists the scale of reforms Ms Mahmood insists on.
The existing three-year agreement, signed by Rishi Sunak in 2023, is set to expire next Tuesday.
A Home Office spokesman said: "We do not comment on anonymous briefings.
"We are building flexibility and innovation into any new deal with the French to ensure long-term value for money and a real impact on small boat crossings."
So far this year, more than 4,000 migrants have made the crossing, with over 41,000 arriving via small boats last year.
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