Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Reform UK and National Rally Pact to Stop Small-Boat Crossings
Reform UK and France’s National Rally want to work together to stop people crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Their leaders signed an agreement at a Reform UK conference in Birmingham.
The plan would apply if both parties gain power.
People arriving in Britain from France would be detained and sent back to France.
France would then send them back to their home countries.
The parties also want to share the cost of protecting their borders.
The leaders say this would reduce illegal migration into Britain.
The French government previously rejected a separate British plan to return migrants without permission.
More than 16,000 small-boat arrivals have been detected in Britain since the beginning of the year.
Reform UK and France’s National Rally signed a memorandum on returning asylum seekers arriving in Britain from France.
The proposed agreement would detain arrivals in Britain and return them to France if both parties win power.
France would then repatriate returned asylum seekers to their countries of origin under the plan.
The parties said they would create a mechanism to share border-security costs.
More than 16,000 people have been detected arriving in Britain by small boat this year, a decline of over 40%.
- Who
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and National Rally leader Jordan Bardella signed the agreement.
- What
- The parties agreed a plan to detain and return asylum seekers arriving in Britain from France if they win power.
- When
- The agreement was announced on September 4; the article does not specify the year.
- Where
- It was announced at Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham, England, concerning crossings from France to Britain.
- Why
- The parties said the plan would help stop small-boat crossings and reduce illegal migration into Britain.
Pact Supporters
Critics and Government Objections
Returning asylum seekers
Pact Supporters
Reform UK and National Rally say returning arrivals to France would help stop the flow of small boats and illegal migration into Britain.
Critics and Government Objections
The French government previously rejected Reform’s proposal to return asylum seekers without permission, saying it would violate France’s sovereignty.
Border enforcement
Pact Supporters
The parties propose stronger border controls, detention in Britain, returns to France and shared border-security costs.
Critics and Government Objections
The British and French governments have instead announced extra police on beaches to deter crossings, rather than endorsing the parties’ proposed arrangement.
- Parties involved
- Reform UK and France’s National Rally
- Signatories
- Nigel Farage and Jordan Bardella
- Proposed returns
- Asylum seekers arriving in Britain from France would be detained and returned to France.
- French responsibility
- France would repatriate returned asylum seekers to their countries of origin.
- Cost-sharing
- The pact proposes a mechanism for sharing border-security costs.
- Small-boat arrivals
- More than 16,000 people have been detected arriving in Britain by small boat since the start of the year.
- Change in arrivals
- The number detected is down by more than 40%, while the number of people per boat is increasing.