France's interior minister Laurent Nunez has instructed police that they must not intervene in shallow waters to damage or stop migrant boats heading to the UK, calling such actions "unacceptable". His statement comes in response to footage appearing to show French officers slashing dinghies to prevent departures. Nunez emphasised that saving lives must be the priority, with police only authorised to intercept vessels on land or intervene at sea if boats are in danger of capsizing.

Nunez outlined two frameworks for police intervention: stopping boats on land, and using a specially trained elite unit to intercept vessels at sea. The new unit has halted ten dinghies since its launch several months ago, with interventions at sea permitted only when "absolutely necessary to save human lives". The announcement follows a surge in crossings, with 1,129 asylum seekers reaching the Channel in four days and 781 arriving on Wednesday alone—a daily record for 2026. However, crossings remain down over 40 per cent compared to the previous year, with 18,579 migrants having reached Britain so far in 2026.