Cross Channel

Two men and two women were swept away by currents while attempting to board dinghy off French coastA man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life after four people died in a small boat Channel crossing on Thursday.The man, described by prosecutors as a 27-year-old Sudanese national, was arrested by National Crime Agency investigators on Friday. Continue reading...

Fears of Easter chaos over scaling up of new EU border system are eased, with no facial IDs for Eurotunnel and Eurostar passengersPassengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks in the coming weeks, despite an imminent deadline for the complete implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), ports say.Airlines and airports across Europe have feared chaos over the Easter holidays. Continue reading...

First fatal incident this year occurred hours after £16.2m ‘stop the boats’ deal agreed between Britain and FranceEurope live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesTwo people have died and another is missing after trying to cross the Channel from France to the UK on Wednesday morning. It is the first fatal incident in the Channel this year.The deaths occurred just hours after an interim £16.2m “stop the boats” deal was agreed between the UK and France which will be in place until May. Negotiations will continue for a longer-term deal to replace the previous three-year deal, which expired on Tuesday. According to reports, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is trying to secure a “payment by results” agreement to reduce small boat crossings. Continue reading...

New agreement delayed amid home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s demands for more interceptions of dinghiesA renewed deal between the UK and France to stop small boat Channel crossings has not yet been signed, with a day to go before the current one expires, raising questions about whether people smugglers will be able to act unimpeded from later this week.Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron announced the previous £468m deal on 10 March 2023, weeks before it came into force. The UK pays two-thirds of the cost of policing France’s northern border and the current agreement expires on Tuesday. Discussions on it began last July at the 37th UK-France summit and British officials travelled to Paris last week for another round of talks. Continue reading...