A former Labour home secretary has called on the French government to introduce a mandatory boat licensing system to strengthen efforts against migrant crossings of the English Channel. Lord Blunkett proposed that any purchase, sale, or transport of vessels carrying more than four people should require a specific licence, granting French authorities enhanced powers to intercept and confiscate boats used by people smugglers.

Speaking ahead of the French presidential election next year, Blunkett stressed the importance of forging a robust bilateral agreement with France to prevent migrant crossings before they occur. He urged Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and someone he has mentored, to prioritize building a “very constructive relationship” with President Emmanuel Macron to address the ongoing asylum crisis.

Blunkett, who served as home secretary between 2001 and 2004 and negotiated the Le Touquet treaty governing border controls between the UK and France, also called for the acceleration and expansion of the current “one-in, one-out” migrant returns scheme. This arrangement allows the UK to deport one unsuccessful asylum seeker to France for each asylum seeker transferred to the UK under reciprocal terms. However, he noted the policy has made only a “marginal” impact on reducing migrant arrivals.

Since the scheme’s introduction in August 2025, the UK has deported 1,087 migrants under the agreement, representing fewer than 4% of small boat arrivals, while France has transferred 1,117 asylum seekers to Britain. Blunkett argued that the UK government should significantly enhance efforts to achieve a more effective deterrent.

Additionally, he encouraged Burnham to seek a deal for the UK to rejoin the EU’s asylum fingerprinting database, Eurodac, which would facilitate real-time information sharing on asylum seekers across the continent.

On domestic policy, Blunkett advised Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to reconsider plans to extend the residency period migrants must wait before applying for indefinite leave to remain. Mahmood’s proposal could double the qualifying time and potentially affect approximately 1.6 million migrants who have arrived since 2021. Blunkett recommended a more gradual approach, with lighter requirements for those already established in the UK.

French police have faced criticism after footage surfaced of officers watching migrants board boats with little intervention. Both French and UK governments contend that policing efforts have improved, citing that 61% of boats were intercepted after a £660 million agreement signed in April 2026 increased French police numbers to over 1,000. This interception rate, however, marks only a slight improvement compared to the previous year.

So far in 2026, 16,513 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats, a 43% decrease from the same period last year. Despite the decline, people smugglers have adapted by using larger “mega-dinghies” capable of carrying up to 230 passengers per crossing.

Blunkett rejected proposals from the Reform UK party to deploy the Royal Navy to intercept and return migrants to France, describing the plan as “unrealistic” and warning it could severely damage diplomatic relations between the UK, France, and the broader European Union.