Key facts
- Reform UK claims its migrant return deal with France's National Rally was fully approved by party president Jordan Bardella.
- The agreement, signed by Nigel Farage and Bardella, aims to return migrants arriving in the UK by small boats to their countries of origin.
- Critics in France argue the deal undermines French sovereignty and contradicts the National Rally's previous stance on accepting returned migrants.
- A Reform UK spokesperson stated the policy was included in both English and French versions of the memorandum of understanding.
- French media and politicians have questioned whether Bardella fully understood the implications of the agreement, particularly an English phrase stating France would "ordinarily accept these persons."
Reform UK has asserted that its agreement with France's far-right National Rally (RN) to return migrants who cross the English Channel was fully ratified by RN president Jordan Bardella, despite significant backlash in France.
The deal, unveiled by Nigel Farage and Bardella, proposes that the UK would intercept boats launched from the French coast, and France would return individuals to their countries of origin. However, a key phrase in the English text stated that "France will ordinarily accept these persons," which critics argue contradicts the RN's long-standing policy of refusing to accept such returns.
Bardella, a protégé of presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, has faced criticism from various French political parties. Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad called the agreement "submission" that was "against our interests and sovereignty." Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal questioned Bardella's understanding of the English text or his commitment to French interests, while Xavier Bertrand, head of the Hauts-de-France region, stated Bardella was reducing France to a "subcontractor" for Britain.
Reform UK has insisted that the policy was clearly communicated in both English and French versions of the memorandum of understanding and that both parties are "fully on board." However, some French media have raised doubts about whether the French translation accurately reflected Farage's intentions. The National Rally has denied any controversy, characterizing the text as a mere declaration of intention to be refined later.