The leaders of the British populist party Reform UK and the French National Rally (RN) announced today an agreement that, they say, would allow Britain to return asylum seekers arriving from France in small boats to that country if their parties come to power.
Both countries have been trying for a decade to stem the influx of asylum seekers crossing from France to Britain, often in overcrowded rubber dinghies.
Speaking at the Reform UK party's annual conference in Birmingham, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said his party's government would tighten border controls, return migrants to their countries of origin and prevent boat crossings to Britain.
"I promise you: if the French people entrust us with the presidency, our government will do everything in its power to ensure that France is no longer a point of entry for illegal migration to Britain," he said, to a standing ovation from the audience.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Bardella then appeared on stage together, where they signed a memorandum of understanding.
The agreement stipulates that asylum seekers arriving in Britain from France would be detained and returned to France, which would then repatriate them to their countries of origin.
The two countries would also, according to the agreement, establish a mechanism for sharing the costs of border protection.
Opinion polls predict that Marine Le Pen of the National Rally will win the first round of the presidential election next April by a wide margin, as well as having a good chance of winning the second round in May.
Reform UK, which had been at the top of the polls for almost 16 months until the summer, is now tied with the ruling Labour Party. The next general election in Britain must be held by 2029 at the latest.
Reform announced last month that, if it comes to power, it would stop asylum seekers in what it described as the largest military action in the English Channel since World War II. The plan includes returning asylum seekers to France even without its consent.
The French government rejected the plan, saying it would violate its sovereignty.
More than 16.000 people have arrived in Britain by small boats since the start of the year, a drop of more than 40 percent. However, the number of migrants on each boat is increasing as people smugglers change tactics.
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment of additional police forces on beaches to deter migrants from attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Farage has previously sought to distance himself from the far right in France. However, while he said he was “concerned” about Marine Le Pen’s father, former presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, he praised her for the changes she has brought to the party.
“What she did with the party... removing those extreme elements and bringing it into the mainstream of the French national debate is a huge achievement,” he said.
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