Agreement and sign-off
Reform UK has said an agreement struck with France’s far-right National Rally to return migrants who cross the Channel was fully approved by the French party and personally signed off by its president, Jordan Bardella. The pact, publicly unveiled on Friday by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Bardella, concerns the repatriation of people who arrive in the UK in small boats from France.
Political backlash in France
The announcement prompted immediate and widespread criticism in France, where opponents described the arrangement as contrary to the country’s interests and an affront to French sovereignty. Detractors said the deal appeared to conflict with longstanding positions within the National Rally and heightened tensions over migration policy between political parties and senior figures in both countries.
Contradiction with Le Pen’s stance
Observers noted the agreement seems to directly contradict a long-held policy of Marine Le Pen, whose movement has previously opposed accepting returns of migrants who cross from France to the UK in small boats. Bardella, 30, is a protégé of Le Pen and succeeded her as leader of the party, but the deal has exposed divisions over how to handle cross-Channel migration and the extent of cooperation with British politicians.
Wider political implications
Reform UK’s insistence that the pact was authorised by the National Rally and its president is likely to fuel debate over the durability of the arrangement and its legal and diplomatic ramifications. The announcement also underscores the broader politicisation of migration in both the UK and France, where parties on the right have been seeking high-profile agreements to demonstrate hardline credentials to domestic electorates.
No operational details have been disclosed by the parties about how returns would be carried out or the timeframe for implementation. Both the nature of the deal and the sharp reaction in France suggest the agreement could face legal, logistical and political hurdles before any aspect of it could be put into effect.