Nigel Farage has hit back at Emmanuel Macron after the French president said Brexit was to blame for the small boats crisis in the Channel.
The Reform UK leader and leading proponent of Brexit said Mr Macron – who is wrapping up his thee-day state visit to the UK – was “going back to Paris laughing” after he signed a deal with Sir Keir Starmer for a “one in, one out” migrants return deal.
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Speaking to reporters from Westminster, Mr Farage said the UK “behaved today like a member of the European Union – on technology, on defence, and on this so-called migrant deal”.
“Macron must be going back to Paris laughing, saying basically the Brits have rejoined the European Union.
“The European Union have a stupid policy that I warned in 2015 would lead to millions coming. It has. Why should we pay for their problem? We voted in a referendum to leave their problem.”
Appearing alongside Sir Keir Starmer at a news conference in northwest London, Mr Macron suggested Brexit was to blame in the uptick in the number of crossings, which have risen by almost 50% since 2024.
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He argued that the UK’s departure from the European Union meant there was no way for people to be returned to mainland Europe after people crossed the Channel.
He was referring to the Dublin regulation, which the UK was signatory to when it was a member of the EU, but is no longer.
“Many people in your country explained that Brexit would make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration,” Mr Macron said.
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“But it’s in fact since Brexit [that] the UK has no migratory agreement with the EU.
“It creates an incentive to make the crossing, the precise opposite of what Brexit had promised.”
He added that the British people were “sold a lie… which is that the problem was Europe, but the problem has become Brexit”.
Mr Farage – whose party is currently leading in the polls – said Mr Macron spoke with “arrogance” about the UK and Brexit.
“The reason we have the problem isn’t because of Brexit; the problem with illegal immigration was happening when we were members of the European Union,” he said.
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“The problem is neither Conservative nor Labour governments had the guts to deal with it.”
The scheme announced today will allow small boat migrants to be sent back to France as part of a trial.
In return, Britain would accept the same number of asylum seekers – who try to come to the UK by a safe route – as those who are returned to France.
Speaking next to Emmanuel Macron at a news conference in northwest London, Sir Keir said it would come into force in a matter of “weeks”.
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The prime minister said the arrangement would begin as a “pilot”, with reports suggesting that just 50 people per week will be sent to France back across the Channel.
However, neither Mr Macron nor Sir Keir mentioned any figures in the news conference.
Mr Farage said he did not think “this so-called deal will make any difference at all” – citing the European Convention on Human Rights, which the UK is a signatory to.
“If we even try to deport people across the Channel we will run straight into the European Convention on Human Rights as written into British law, in the human rights act,” he said.
“The lawyers will have a field day and will find lots of reasons why people can’t be deported.”
