An agreement with France on small boats is a step forward, but it treats the symptom not the problem | Tech Reddy

One of the less inspiring moments of Liz Truss’s leadership campaign over the summer was when she refused to say whether or not Emmanuel Macron was a friend of the UK, rather than an enemy.

While no one can deny that there are areas where British and French policy are at odds (such as Northern Ireland), it has been somewhat absurd and counter-productive pandering that has undermined an important working relationship without a good reason.

Part of Rishi Sunak’s takeover is the opportunity to give that relationship a bit of a reset, and a dividend of that is that it seems that the Government has been able to make a new agreement with Paris on the policing of the English Channel.

While we won’t have the details until Monday, reports suggest the UK will stump up more money in exchange for enhanced patrols on the French coast. From the FT: :

“Under the renewed agreement, French officials said the number of officers on patrol to stop small boat crossings would increase from 200 to 300 by the middle of next year, with the cost of the additional monitoring covered by the funds of the United Kingdom. In 2018, there were only 90 officers on patrol.”

In terms of treating the symptom, this will probably have some ameliorative effect; French officials say they have already prevented more than half of the crossing attempts this year, and more patrols means more interceptions.

Less obvious is what such a deal will do about the broader issue. Preventing attempts to cross is good, but presumably what happens then is that young people trying to get there throw their stones at the French police, locate another boat, and try again.

Ultimately, a long-term solution means finding ways to make the UK’s processing and deportation system effective, a problem that is not in the power of the French to solve. But in the medium term, the networks that bring these people to the shores of France, and taking advantage of their desperation, must be broken, with punitive punishments sent to the ringleaders.

This should definitely be something that London and Paris could usefully collaborate on. However, the stories always seem to be about the boats.

However, the Government would be foolish to make the perfect the enemy of the good. Treating the symptom is better than nothing, especially if the highly visible loss of control in Dover contributes to the recent rumblings of a Faragist resurgence.