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A French parliamentary inquiry has described the UK-France border deal as “irrational, ineffective and dangerous”, warning of its consequences for human rights.
The inquiry, which was published last month, is the first democratic evaluation of the UK-France border deal since the initial Le Touquet agreement, which allows UK border checks to be carried out on French soil and French checks in the UK, came into force in 2004.
The findings have highlighted the violent consequences of the policies implemented in northern France. The inquiry found current border policy to be “irrational from a democratic standpoint, dangerous for human rights, and ineffective regarding their stated objectives”.
The inquiry has recommended stopping the use of tear gas against children and vulnerable people, as well as addressing the severe living conditions experienced by migrants at the border, such as insufficient access to shelter, sanitation and other fundamental rights.
Katie Hall, advocacy lead at Project Play, a charity that supports families and children in northern France, responded to the report’s findings:
“The conclusions of the French inquiry confirm what we see every day – a situation of violence and inhumanity manufactured by a politics devoid of empathy, funded in no small part by UK taxpayers.”
The inquiry also found that no public record had been kept of how money from the UK had been spent. This means that since 2018, there are no accounts of how £648 million of UK taxpayers’ money has been spent.
Ms Hall added: “The UK Government’s obsession with borders to distract attention from their failures at home is leading to taxpayers funding serious human rights abuses against men, women and children – with zero transparency about how that money is used.”
Given that the UK Government is set to spend a further £660 million over the next three-year period ending in 2029, the report calls for “greater transparency of data” to ensure “democratic control”.
Despite the inquiry’s strong condemnation of UK-funded policy, the report has received little coverage in UK mainstream media.
Since the time of this article’s publication, mainstream outlets such as BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News, the Guardian, the Telegraph or the Times have not reported on the inquiry.
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Since the first agreement in 2004, at least 444 people have died attempting to cross the Channel, including at least 54 children.
Despite increasing investment from the UK Government into border security, the frequency of deaths in the Channel has been growing in recent years.
Since the previous deal in 2023, when then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed a £460 million pact with French President Emmanuel Macron, there have been at least 146 deaths and missing persons recorded in the Channel, according to Calais Appeal.
Figures compiled by the Centre for Sociodigital Futures at the University of Bristol and Swiss research agency Border Forensics have revealed that deaths in the Channel have risen alongside an increase in spending on border securitisation.
Travis Van Isacker, research fellow at the Centre for Sociodigital Futures, told the Independent the significance of these findings:
“These distinct but entangled border policing practices have had the cumulative effect of creating more dangerous circumstances for migrants.
“They have shown state policies to prevent small boat crossings as being a clear driver in the increased number of deaths amongst migrants in the Channel.”
The research also argued that increased French policing, a result of t…