# French presidential hopeful says UK’s ‘shocking’ immigration policies are to blame for small boats crisis and says situation is ‘absurd’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/french-presidential-hopeful-says-uks-shocking-immigration-policies-are-to-blame-for-small-boats-crisis-and-says-situation-is-absurd/
- Published: 2026-11-04T21:43:06+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-04T22:04:17+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16265927/French-UKs-shocking-immigration-policies-blame-small-boats-crisis.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Europe, Government, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Philippe blames UK immigration rules for encouraging Channel crossings.
- He threatens to review the border treaty and seek more funding.
- The article reports 1,670 arrivals over four days.

## Summary

Édouard Philippe, a French presidential hopeful and former prime minister, says Britain’s immigration policies help drive Channel small-boat crossings and make French efforts to stop them incoherent. He has threatened to renegotiate or end the UK-France border agreement if Britain does not tighten its rules and pay more towards policing, potentially changing how the two countries manage their shared border.

The UK agreed to pay France £662 million over three years, covering about half the cost of the policing operation. Philippe argues that Britain grants residency or asylum to almost two-thirds of small-boat arrivals and says people whose claims are refused can still remain and work. Home Office figures cited in the article record 1,670 crossings from Thursday to Sunday, bringing the reported total since Andy Burnham became prime minister to 10,136; the article also notes that the government has revised proposed settlement rules after opposition within Labour.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.