France and Britain agree to new $577 million deal to stop migrants from crossing English Channel

Paris/London: The United Kingdom will pay France 480 million pounds ($577 million) over a period of three years in an attempt to stop migrants from travelling in small boats across the Channel, helping to fund enhanced patrols, the use of drones and a detention centre. At Friday’s summit designed to rebuild ties after years of bickering over Brexit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron said the two countries had agreed to work more closely together. Sunak has made stopping boat arrivals one of his five priorities after the number of migrants arriving on the south coast of England soared to more than 45,000 in 2022, up 500% in the last two years. “It is time for a new start,” French President Macron said. As part of the new agreement, Britain will help fund a detention centre in France while Paris will deploy more French personnel and enhanced technology to patrol its beaches. Officers from both countries will also look to work with countries along the routes favoured by people traffickers. The funding package will be paid in instalments, with the French also contributing significantly more funding, they said. “Emmanuel and I share the same beliefs,” Sunak said. “Criminal gangs should not get to decide who comes to our country. Within weeks of my coming into office, we agreed on our largest ever small boats deal and today we’ve taken our cooperation to an unprecedented level to tackle this shared challenge." Bilateral ties between the two countries have often been rocky since Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, but have been fortified by the countries’ support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of its neighbour last year. Contrary to recent reports, Macron welcomed Sunak at the Elysee Palace and the two leaders greeted each other cordially. The two global leaders, accompanied by seven ministers on each side, also met business leaders from both France and the UK. Sunak, who became Britain’s prime minister in October, is hoping to capitalise on renewed goodwill with France and the wider European Union after he struck the Windsor Framework - a new agreement with the bloc aimed at fixing problems with Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements. Later this month, King Charles III will also travel to France on his first state visit as monarch. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.