The top leaders of the far-right parties in the United Kingdom and France, Nigel Farage and Jordan Bardella, have signed a "historic" agreement to address the migration crisis on both sides of the English Channel, a commitment they intend to implement if they manage to come to power in their respective countries.
The pact, signed by both leaders during a rally of the British party Reform UK in Birmingham, stipulates that a potential French government led by National Rally will accept the return of migrants in an irregular situation who depart from the French coasts and are intercepted in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, the agreement supports the so-called 'Operation Fortress' of Reform UK, which proposes the deployment of the Royal Navy in the English Channel to block the advance of boats, a proposal questioned by critical sectors and specialists who warn that these forced returns would violate international law.
"This is a groundbreaking agreement that demonstrates that both Reform UK and National Rally take seriously stopping the invasion of illegal immigrants, securing our borders, and prioritizing our own people," Farage stated during the rally, according to a statement released by his party.
For his part, Bardella has assured that, under his future government, no one will enter France "simply because they decided to." "We will restore control and protection at our borders. And we will send foreign criminals back to their countries," he asserted during the event, according to what was published on his social media.
The signing of this understanding takes place just hours after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed in their first meeting of this week to strengthen cooperation against illegal migration across the English Channel.