French riot police, deployed under a UK-France deal, are authorised to use water cannon, CS gas, and batons against asylum seekers in northern France. The £660m deal aims to prevent small boat launches, but refugee charities condemn the potential use of water cannon as "sickening" and inhumane.
French riot police deployed in northern France under a £660m UK deal are authorised to use water cannon, CS gas, and batons against asylum seekers. Refugee charities have condemned the move as "sickening" and "inhumane".
The UK has agreed to pay for 200 French officers to detain and deport asylum seekers from 10 specific nationalities under a new £662m deal with France. The detain-and-deport scheme targets nationals from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Syria, Vietnam and Yemen at a new removal site in Dunkirk. The deal includes a £162m payment-by-results package on top of a new three-year £500m baseline agreement, with the Dunkirk facility expected to open by end of 2026.
