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WorldUK to lend France £500,000,000 to address the migrant crisis

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UK to lend France £500,000,000 to address the migrant crisis

In order to increase attempts to stop tiny boats from crossing the Channel, Britain will grant France about half a billion pounds over the next three years.

Rishi Sunak has promised to transfer Paris £541 million, or £478 million, to pay for the new package.

Many French law enforcement officials will be hired as part of it, and a new detention facility will be built there.

Following his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the UK-France summit on Friday at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Mr. Sunak made the announcement about the package.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attend a joint news conference as part of the Franco-British Summit held at Elysee Palace in Paris, France March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool
The leaders spoke of a ‘special bond’ between the United Kingdom and France (Picture: Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pose with ministers during a French-British summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, March 10, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meet for a summit aimed at mending relations following post-Brexit tensions, as well as improving military and business ties and toughening efforts against Channel migrant crossings. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak pose with ministers during a French-British summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris (Picture: Reuters)

But there was no sign of the returns agreement with France that the Government desires as Mr Sunak makes ‘stopping the boats’ one of his top priorities.

Mr Sunak was speaking in Paris following the announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill, which has already faced backlash from various charities.

It will stop those arriving from claiming asylum, seeking citizenship or returning to the UK in the future.

The Bill will push ‘the boundaries of international law’, Home Secretary Suella Braverman had told reporters.

The legislation is likely to get a rough ride in the Lords, as the upper chamber considers whether to amend the legislation.

If the Government does not accept the changes, then a lengthy back and forth could delay the implementation.

In the House of Commons, Ms Braverman had said: ‘The need for reform is obvious and urgent.’

She added: ‘They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed.’

File photo dated 9/12/2022 of a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, after being rescued by the RNLI following a small boat incident in the Channel. A total of 45,756 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK in 2022, Government figures show. The last crossings of the year took place on Christmas Day, when 90 people made the journey from France in two boats. Issue date: Sunday January 1, 2023.
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent, after being rescued by the RNLI following a small boat incident in the Channel (Picture: PA)
Protesters putside a Holiday Inn, Rotherham, are met with a counter protest and a heavy police presence. February 18 2023. Police are making preparations for protests which are due to be staged outside a hotel housing dozens of asylum seekers in Yorkshire. Members of anti-immigration groups Patriotic Alternative and English Constitution Party are planning to take part in a protest outside Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on Saturday afternoon. A counter-protest has also been planned by Stand Up To Racism, Rotherham Trades Council and Unite Against Fascism. In a joint statement, the groups said it will be ???a peaceful protest??? against groups ???who are targeting refugees???. Members of anti-immigration groups are planning to take part in a protest outside Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on Saturday afternoon. Members of anti-immigration groups are planning to take part in a protest outside Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, Rotherham, on Saturday afternoon. ???We need to send a message to them that refugees are welcome in our town,??? they added. It comes after 15 people, including a 13-year-old boy, were arrested when a demonstration turned violent outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley, which houses asylum seekers, on Friday night.
Huge protests have been held in response to the migrant crisis (Picture: Tom Maddick / SWNS)

The plans have been criticised by refugee groups, who say they are unworkable and will only make the system more costly and chaotic.

Patrick Ryan, Chief Executive of leading modern slavery charity Hestia, said today: ‘We need to be tougher on the organised criminals who are exploiting vulnerable people, not on the victims.’

The UK has already committed more than £300 million to France in the last decade to help tackle unauthorised migration.

More than 3,000 people have already made the perilous sea journey this year, with almost 46,000 arriving by unofficial routes in 2022.

That is despite Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman announcing a £63 million package to increase patrol officers by 40% four months ago.

That package followed a £55 million deal in 2021.

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