Newly released footage captures the tense moment French police confronted a group of migrants during an attempted small boat launch from the coast of northern France.
The video, filmed on a beach, appears to show young men wearing life jackets hurling stones at officers in an effort to stop them reaching the dinghy. Police responded by using Pava spray before cutting into the inflatable boat with a knife to disable it.
Recorded by French gendarmes and later circulated by the UK’s Border Security Command, the footage was highlighted as proof that France is adopting a tougher, more proactive stance on preventing Channel small boat crossings under its latest agreement with Britain.
However, shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed Labour’s praise for the deal as “a joke”, arguing that the number of intercepted crossings is in fact declining.
He said the crossings would only end if a “proper deterrent” were put in place, calling for people arriving through irregular routes to be deported “rapidly”.
French officers and gendarmes have also faced criticism after several videos appeared to show them standing back as boats were launched, including a recent clip filmed by Mr Philp himself.
Home Office figures show French police prevented more than 4,300 migrants from reaching the UK during the first three months of the new cross-Channel enforcement deal.
Between April 27 and August 2, authorities stopped 185 attempted boat crossings, amounting to about 60 per cent of all attempts. But large numbers have still succeeded in reaching Britain, with around 8,200 migrants arriving across the Channel in 120 boats during the same period.
More than 3,000 migrants have arrived since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, loading pressure on him to come up with a new plan for tackling illegal migration amid a growing backlash at the cost – and local impact – of housing asylum seekers.
The data also suggests French police are mainly stopping smaller vessels, rather than the mega-dinghies that smugglers are increasingly using to ferry as many 230 migrants at a time.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, claimed the interception figures showed that the deal with the French was ‘already having a real impact, stopping crossings before they happen and disrupting the criminal gangs behind them’.
Shocking footage shows migrants clashing with French police as they attempted to intercept a boat from crossing the English Channel
The video, filmed on a beach in northern France , shows young men in life jackets throwing stones at officers to keep them away from their dinghy
The officers then use Pava spray before slashing the inflatable boat with a knife
Polling show illegal migration one of the most important issues for the British public, as the cost of housing asylum seekers has surged over recent years.
Under previous Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in April signed an agreement that will see UK taxpayers pay £661 million to the French over three years to bolster efforts to stop small boats crossings.
In most cases, French officers do not intercept dinghies at sea due to claims doing so could threaten the safety of the people onboard.
Of the 12 boat interceptions recorded so far, three have occurred in the past two weeks.
While Channel crossings are down about 40 per cent compared to last year, thousands of illegal migrants are still making it to the UK, with 250 arriving on Monday.
A record 230 migrants arrived in a single dinghy earlier this month, prompting the Conservatives to taunt Ms Mahmood for ‘presiding over a complete and utter farce’.
The record-breaking mega-dinghy arrived less than two weeks after Mr Burnham insisted the Government’s plan was working.
Measuring 49ft from bow to stern, it was 7ft larger than vessels which set previous records last month, and more than 10ft longer than a standard double-decker bus.
People traffickers are thought to charge around £2,000 a head for illegal passage to Britain, meaning the dinghy could have made the criminals a staggering £450,000 profit.
Mr Philp said in response: ‘Labour’s weak attempts at fixing the Channel crisis have turned the UK into a complete laughing stock. Shabana Mahmood is presiding over a complete and utter farce.
‘She’s handing over £660million of our money to the French, who are pathetically standing around on the beaches while hundreds of migrants embark on massive dinghies.’
It comes as Ms Mahmood doubled down on Mr Burnham‘s plans to send asylum seekers to wealthier areas by saying she wants a ‘fair spread’ of migrants across the country.
The Home Secretary said she is targeting a mixed model of asylum accommodation by utilising military sites, former student apartments, bedsits and houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).
Mr Burnham is expected to push ahead with his plans to send asylum seekers to wealthier areas even if there’s a higher cost for taxpayers.
The Government is said to be considering raising the strict rent caps imposed on private-sector contractors for asylum housing which restrict contractors from proposing higher-cost properties, often found in middle-class communities.
Raising the cap would allow more migrants to be moved to more expensive postcodes, with the PM said to be keen to pursue the plans ‘as a point of principle’ even if it costs more.
Home Office figures show there were 97,519 people in receipt of asylum support at the end of March this year.
Of these, 20,885 were in hotel accommodation while 3,866 were getting subsistence support only – i.e. solely receiving weekly money from the Government for basic living needs such as food, clothing and toiletries.
Another 72,768 were in ‘other’ accommodation including ‘dispersal’ accommodation, typically comprising flats or houses often set up as HMOs.
Analysis by Our News Outlet has revealed there are currently 17 local authority areas – including the Cotswolds, Derbyshire Dales, Malvern Hills, the New Forest and the Scottish Highlands – with no taxpayer-supported asylum seekers.
Mr Burnham said last week he did not want a situation ‘where it’s only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers’.
‘I do believe all parts of the country need to work, to play their part,’ the PM added, as he was quizzed about local anger over plans for a former military base in Bicester, Oxfordshire, to provide accommodation for 1,250 male asylum seekers.
Residents of Piddington – a tiny village of around 400 residents near to the proposed site – have voted to stage a symbolic referendum on leaving the UK as part of their protests against the proposals.
Mike Nixon, the vice-chairman of Piddington Parish Council, said although he is in agreement with Mr Burnham’s intent to disperse asylum seekers into middle class communities, he believes the plan to do so in Piddington is impractical and unnecessary.
As a result, the village will hold an independence referendum next month. Asked why local residents want one, Mr Nixon said last week: ‘We’re still very frustrated.
‘Andy Burnham did say that he’s willing to listen, but we’ve had no formal contact. No consultation, nothing from the Home Office.
‘We felt that the only way of making our views felt was to say ‘well if we’re not going to be listened to, what’s the point of being a part of the country?’
‘It’s a symbolic vote, and I suspect the village will overwhelmingly vote in favour, because we aren’t being listened to.
‘I think that will send another powerful message to the Government that they can’t just push people around. We have human rights, and our human rights to a family life are being affected by the proposal of this Government.’
Mr Nixon said the plans are flawed, posing risks to both residents and asylum seekers, and because they undermine Mr Burnham’s devolution plans.
