Illegal Channel crossings: Rishi Sunak wants quantified objectives with Paris

The new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants an agreement with France to limit migrant crossings in the Channel with quantified targets for interceptions, as part of a more "

" approach with Paris, reports this Friday the newspaper

.

Constantly increasing, the arrival of migrants on the English coast, on small boats, is a subject of regular tension between Paris and London.

The two countries have already agreed that the British government will financially help the French authorities to better monitor the French coasts to prevent departures.

Read alsoMigrants: several attempts to cross the Channel prevented by the police

But according to

, Rishi Sunak wants to go further and wants a global agreement with quantified targets of intercepted boats and British Border Police officers patrolling France.

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Britons overwhelmed by influx

He also wants to set targets for 80% of asylum applications to be processed within six months, against an average of 480 days, but also to tighten the conditions for granting asylum.

More than 38,000 migrants have made the very dangerous crossing of the Channel on makeshift boats since the beginning of the year, more than all of last year, already record.

According to the British authorities, up to 80% of these new migrants are now Albanians.

The UK asylum system is completely overwhelmed by this influx.

Rishi Sunak, himself the grandson of Indian immigrants, has taken a very tough stance on immigration.

He backs previous Conservative governments' controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which is still pending judicial review.

He also appointed the ultra-conservative Suella Braverman to the Interior Ministry, a decision interpreted as a gesture towards the right wing of the Conservative Party.

A more conciliatory tone with France

In contrast to previous governments, very virulent towards France, accused of not doing enough, the new executive has adopted a more conciliatory tone.

Secretary of State for Immigration Robert Jenrick said this week that he wants a more "

" relationship with Paris, in particular to take joint action with the Albanian authorities.

He also praised the French asylum system, which is faster than its British equivalent.

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