British, French right-wing parties agree to return Channel migrants

Britain’s Reform UK party has agreed a migration deal with France’s right-wing National Rally (RN) under which migrants attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats could be returned to France if both parties come to power.

The agreement was signed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and RN President Jordan Bardella during Reform’s annual conference in Birmingham, held from September 3 to 5, BBC reports.

Under the proposed arrangement, France would “ordinarily accept” migrants intercepted while attempting to cross the Channel from its coast, before returning them to their countries of origin.

The agreement follows Reform UK’s announcement last month of plans to use the Royal Navy to intercept small boats carrying migrants across the Channel and return them to French ports.

Speaking before the agreement was unveiled, Bardella told Reform delegates that an RN government would “do everything in its power to ensure that France is no longer the gateway for illegal migration into the United Kingdom.”

Bardella also described Farage as Britain’s potential next prime minister and pledged that an RN government would work with a future Reform administration to tackle irregular migration.

Under separate plans previously outlined by Reform UK, migrants who successfully reach Britain from France would be detained immediately and deported directly to their countries of origin rather than returned to France.

The agreement comes ahead of France’s presidential election, scheduled for April 2027. Bardella’s National Rally is currently leading opinion polls, with around 30% of voters saying they would support the party’s candidate, according to polling cited by the BBC.

Bardella travelled to Britain to attend Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham, where the agreement was formally signed.

By Sabina Mammadli