Cash alone will not buy the UK migration control

While the world’s attention is focused on the precarious truce in the war in the Middle East and the negotiations that it is hoped will yield a settlement, peace and the end of its many human and economic ramifications, one important event largely escaped attention.

The UK government has agreed to pay France another £660 million ($891 million) to curb the flow of migrants and asylum seekers from French shores and into England.

As the weather improves during spring, the seasonal headache for French and British authorities is renewed. Despite all the draconian measures of the past, small boats continue to cross the English Channel. The new deal will fund more French police and riot units to contain and disperse would-be migrants, more drones and surveillance aircrafts, and investment in coordination centers. This comes with yet another round of tightening of the UK immigration system, making it more difficult for migrants and refugees to settle and speeding up application processing and removal — all to try to make Britain less welcoming.

But throwing cash at the problem will not solve it. The £660 million the UK has agreed to pay France is a drop in the ocean for a problem that has become a money-making machine for gangs, unscrupulous law firms and even states weaponizing refugees as a means to exploit and blackmail for political gain.

The extreme-right Reform UK is threatening to deliver a severe blow to the ruling Labour Party in next week’s local elections

Mohamed Chebaro

The issue is increasingly looking like a game of cat and mouse. When controls are tightened in France and the police are successful in their efforts to prevent crossings, some smugglers move their customers to the Belgian coast, where increased activities have been observed by the authorities.

One wonders how much slack the new funding will buy the UK government as it faces intense pressure to deliver more migration controls in the face of the growing popularity of the extreme-right Reform UK, which is threatening to deliver a severe blow to the ruling Labour Party in next week’s local elections.

It has long been evident that the country’s migration and settlement system needs overhauling. Many governments have attempted to close the gaps in the system that allow many migrants to enter the country and settle with the aim of milking the welfare system.

Many formulas have been suggested and implemented, but none has been the silver bullet that is needed. Take, for example, the English language, which is one factor that makes the UK more attractive to migrants than other European countries, where language is a condition for settlement. Then there is the case of extended families and old empire links, which give many people with connections to the UK the ability to join relatives and friends who have for years shared stories of success. Then, of course, there is the dynamic employment market and job opportunities due to constant skills shortages that have been compounded by Brexit.

Another issue is the smugglers and their agents within the UK that have been exploiting the situation for a hefty profit. Then there are the shady agencies offering advice on routes into the UK via educational tracks or fake employment contracts. Investigation after investigation has revealed no stone left unturned when looking for ways to abuse the system.

This government has gone the furthest of any so far in trying to tighten the rules and make Britain less hospitable

Mohamed Chebaro

A BBC investigation this month found evidence that law firms and legal advisers are helping new arrivals pretend to be gay to get asylum. Other migrants claimed to have arrived in Britain through a work contract route, with shady accountants organizing fake employment for monthly fees that they have to pay back through working in the black market. Others have claimed religious discrimination or other cultural exploitation in their home countries to claim asylum in Europe.

There is no doubt that the number of arrivals via small boats is currently lower than in 2025. But the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer is still predicted to suffer severe losses to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in next week’s elections as a result of the immigration issue being whipped up and magnified by the right and extreme right, who claim that the country is being invaded and its culture changed.

This government has gone the furthest of any so far in trying to tighten the rules and make Britain less hospitable by making settled status and residence harder to obtain, even to the detriment of starving the labor market of workers, which could harm the economy in the long run.

The government is already seeing the benefits of the cash it is spending in France, aiming to stop the tens of thousands of migrants it claims are willing to cross to the UK. This is while constantly trying to make it less comfortable for migrants once they arrive, housing them at former army barracks instead of hotels. The latter caused an outcry last year due to the costs of this policy. Starmer has also claimed that his government has deported or returned nearly 60,000 people with no right to stay in the UK since it came to power.

All this is very well, but it is unlikely to be enough. Evidence shows that sending money to France could yield respite but not a solution. Ramping up the police presence across the Channel might require a similar deal with Belgium and later the Netherlands, as smugglers adapt their tactics and move their operations further along the coast. Ramping up intelligence and crime-fighting capabilities is also welcome, as is surveillance and law enforcement. Reform of the employment market and work visa system is also important, as providing simple legal settlement routes is crucial to stem the flow.

But this is a colossal and grinding task that cannot alone remove the UK’s appeal, which is often built on cultural and linguistic affinity, reputation or family precedent, but also due to people smugglers treating migration as a commodity that can be bought and sold.

• Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.