A senior French politician has blamed the UK’s decision to leave the European Union for the sharp increase in migrants crossing the English Channel. Éléonore Caroit, a member of French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, said that Brexit ended the UK’s return agreement with the EU and weakened its asylum system.
According to Caroit, the number of migrants crossing the Channel has grown since Brexit, when the UK was removed from the Dublin Regulation. That EU rule allowed the UK to return asylum seekers who had passed through safe European countries without applying for asylum there. After Brexit, no similar deal was agreed upon.
Caroit also repeated a long-standing claim that migrants see the UK as an “El Dorado,” offering attractive benefits and an easy asylum process. She said this image makes the UK a top destination, which adds pressure to the migration routes leading through France.
Her comments followed a record day for Channel crossings, with 1,194 people arriving in the UK in small boats on Saturday alone. In total, 1,378 people attempted the crossing that day, but French authorities only stopped 184—less than 15 percent. The total number of arrivals for 2025 so far has reached 14,811, the highest ever for the first five months of any year.
Despite a £480 million agreement between the UK and France to improve beach patrols and security, the French interception rate has dropped. In 2025, French authorities have intercepted just 38 percent of migrants. This is lower than previous years—45 percent in 2024, nearly 47 percent in 2023, and 42 percent in 2022.
Caroit admitted that once boats are in the water, it becomes difficult for French police to stop them. Although France has promised to change its laws to allow police to act in shallow waters, no legal update has yet been implemented.
UK politicians, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, have expressed frustration with France’s efforts and urged the UK to suspend a 12-year fishing deal with France until stronger action is taken. But Caroit defended France, saying the country is still committed to stopping the crossings and wants better cooperation with the UK.
She said that both countries need to work together and take shared responsibility. While France is trying to improve enforcement on its side, she believes the UK must also address its own policies and the appeal it holds for migrants, or the crossings will only continue to grow.