In hopes of sealing a new deal against illegal migration, current British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak & French President Emmanuel Macron have collaborated in dealing with the large number of illegal migrants entering the UK from France through the English Channel. Sunak’s first official meeting regarding the matter with the French president as prime minister was during the COP27 Climate Summit. Moreover, France refused to have additional UK immigration officers alongside their own on their beaches to stop boats of migrants as a threat to their sovereignty. Despite the prior crossed relations between the UK & France under former prime ministers Boris Johnson & Liz Truss, Sunak hopes to establish better grounds with France and further tackle large numbers of economic migrants entering the country.
Compared to last year, there has been almost a 20,000 migrant increase to the UK. Now hitting 40,000 migrants altogether, and a large proportion of them being migrants who are seeking better economic opportunities. The country of England itself is unable to support the large amounts of migrants entering the country. Therefore, the need for them to stop and regulate those coming into the country is needed the most right now. And since a large amount of the migrants are coming from French beaches, this situation poses an opportunity for both England and France to work together. France is listed as one of the most popular destinations for immigrants in Europe, therefore it is not surprising that many choose to extend their travels through the country in hopes to get to the UK through connecting waters and French beaches.
This article refers back to what we discussed in class because it mentions the topic of sovereignty and how it can be thought of as threatened once an additional power is put on a country’s land. As well as an example of the collective goods problem for both nations and the other nations involved when it comes to immigration within the region to the UK.