Government say France still "united" with UK on stopping small boats crossing the Channel
190 people arrived in the Dover this Sunday.
No 10 say that the UK and France are still "united" in stopping small boats crossing the English Channel, as the existing near £500 million deal is set to run out at the end of March.
Just this weekend 190 people crossed the Channel into Dover on small boats, with many having to be brought ashore by Border Force after an issue with a small boat on Monday.
Crossings in the Channel have risen over the last few years, with 41,472 people arriving in the UK by small boat in 2025 alone, leading to pressure for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to bring numbers down.
Ms Mahmood is thought to be pushing for a new arrangement that includes performance-related clauses linked funding to the proportion of boats intercepted by the French, as renewal negations draw closer.
Downing Street refused to disclose how much money the Government was prepared to give to France for a fresh deal when questioned by reporters on Monday, but did say a new deal would be focused on “long-term value for money”.
Asked whether Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wanted to see the existing deal improved, his spokesman said: “We always want to improve where we can improve our abilities to prevent small boat crossings.
“I won’t get ahead of negotiations but we are looking at how we can build flexibility and innovation into any deal with the French to ensure that there is long-term value for money and a real impact on small boat crossings that builds on the 40,000 crossing attempts that have been prevented since this Government came into office.”
Asked whether the existing deal had provided value for money, he said the preventions were “a testament to the work our teams have been undertaking with French teams.”
“We are united in wanting to stop small boat crossings, which put lives at risk,” the official added.
There is no current statement on what a new deal would look like.