UK 'to give France more money to bolster Calais security'
1 min read
The Government has agreed to give France more money to boost security in Calais, according to French officials.
It comes after evidence of a rise in the number of people being smuggled into the UK from the French port.
The Times reports that ministers are also looking at renewing a security contract for the Eurotunnel terminals at Calais, Dunkirk and Coquelles - a move that could cost as much as £80m.
French officials told the paper that British taxpayers had coughed up £124m to boost security on the other side of the channel since 2015, with the latest tranche of money thought to be in the tens of millions of pounds.
It follows a meeting last week between Home Secretary Amber Rudd and her French counterpart, Gerard Collomb.
While the Home Office would not be drawn on how much money the UK would hand over, a spokesman said:
“We work closely with the French authorities at all levels to reduce migrant pressures and target criminal gangs involved in people trafficking, both in northern France and farther afield in source and transit countries.”
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
