France's Darmanin Accuses UK of 'Incredible Hypocrisy' Over Channel Migration
Former interior minister tells parliamentary inquiry that UK demands violated French sovereignty and Brexit promises on migration have collapsed.
Gérald Darmanin, France's justice minister and former interior minister, delivered a scathing assessment of British immigration policy on Tuesday, telling a parliamentary commission that the UK's approach to Channel crossings is defined by "incredible hypocrisy" and failed Brexit promises.
Appearing before the inquiry into the Touquet agreements, the 2003 treaty that places the UK border on French soil, Darmanin said London spent years demanding joint patrols on French territory, a request Paris consistently refused. He described diplomatic exchanges marked by "methods worthy of extremely hostile countries" to verify French compliance, adding that proper judicial cooperation took three years to secure and remains of doubtful effectiveness.
Deportation gap fuels crossings
Darmanin contrasted France's record, he said it deports more people than any other EU country, with Britain's roughly 5,000 annual removals against an estimated irregular population exceeding one million. "When you are in Britain, not only do you reunite with your family, but you are also certain that they will not be able to deport you," he said, identifying that certainty as a primary driver of small-boat departures from French beaches.
"The British must accept one simple idea: Brexit does not work when it comes to immigration."
Brexit's broken promise
The minister argued that leaders who pledged leaving the EU would slash migration created permanent political pressure that no British government can satisfy. "A country that has fully regained its sovereignty, that implemented Brexit, has more legal and illegal immigrants than before. Whatever the government," he said, concluding that only renewed cooperation with the European Union can produce results.
The commission's findings are expected to shape France's negotiating stance as both sides seek a post-Brexit migration compact. For now, the Channel remains a flashpoint where diplomatic rhetoric and human tragedy intersect daily.
