UK and France sign off on major deal to 'strengthen' security in Channel and police waters

BRITAIN and France have signed a historic new agreement over the policing of the English Channel.

16:19, Mon, Jul 26, 2021 | UPDATED: 21:51, Mon, Jul 26, 2021

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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has signed a new treaty with his counterpart in Paris to help bolster cooperation. The new maritime security agreement looks to strengthen protection on ships crossing the Channel in cases such as terrorism.

In future, France and the UK will work together to respond to major incidents to ensure "seamless joint and coordinated action".

Mr Raab said: "As close allies it is vital the UK and France work together to protect our citizens and values.

"Today’s signing of the UK-France Maritime Security Treaty will reinforce our ability to jointly respond swiftly and effectively to terrorist threats in the Channel."

Provisions in the new deal include the ability to share security information concerning potential security threats and coordinate more efficient joint responses.

Dominic Raab signed the historic new agreement

Dominic Raab signed the historic new agreement (Image: GETTY)

It is hoped the treaty will lead to "swifter and stronger initial responses to serious security incidents" and enable a more effective response in the aftermath of any incident.

The agreement will take effect once it has been formally ratified in the French and UK Parliaments.

The treaty was signed as Mr Raab and Ben Wallace met their French counterparts for joint discussions.

Talks were held on key security and foreign policy issues.

Reacting to the deal, Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said: "As Home Secretary, the protection of the public and our citizens is paramount.

"The intelligence and security tools this new cooperation provides will give law enforcement and our emergency responders the additional support they need to protect us all.

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Dominic signed off on the deal while in Paris

Dominic signed off on the deal while in Paris (Image: N/C)

The Foreign Secretary held talks with his French counterpart

The Foreign Secretary held talks with his French counterpart (Image: N/C)

"In an uncertain world we must continue to work effectively with international partners to prevent and disable serious security threats."

The deal will not tackle illegal migration, with agreements between the UK and France already in place for dealing with such occurrences.

Last week Ms Patel and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin signed off an a deal to help crackdown on the number of people making the dangerous journey across the Channel illegally.

As part of the agreement France agreed to more than double the number of police patrolling beaches.

Priti Patel praised the treaty as proof of how the UK and France can work together

Priti Patel praised the treaty as proof of how the UK and France can work together (Image: PA)

In return, the UK agreed to give £54million to help fund the operations.

As many as 22,000 migrants are expected to cross the Channel in 2021, triple the number of last year.

The total number of crossings for 2020 was surpassed last week with more than five months of the year remaining.

Yesterday more than 500 migrants made the treacherous journey.