'I live in French town crippled by migrant crisis – here’s why Starmer’s deal won’t work'

A group of people thought to be migrants board a dinghy near the beach at Gravelines, France. Pictur (Image: PA)

Sir Keir Starmer’s proposed migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron is “destined to fail”, according to the deputy mayor of a French town overwhelmed by small boat crossings. Alain Boonefaes, who is responsible for crime and public safety in Gravelines – a commune of 11,500 people a few miles up the coast from Calais – said Labour’s “one in, one out” approach would do nothing to stop the relentless flow of migrants across the Channel.

He said: “I don’t see how it’ll work. It means we share the migrants among ourselves.” Asked if the plan was feasible, he replied: “No.” Under the proposed agreement, unveiled as Mr Macron arrived in the UK for a three-day state visit, France would accept the return of illegal migrants who cross the Channel, in exchange for Britain agreeing to take in asylum seekers directly from France.

Sir Keir Starmer hosts Emmanuel Macron at Number 10 on Wednesday (Image: Getty)

Sir Keir has claimed this will break the business model of smuggling gangs by encouraging legal routes and strengthening cross-border enforcement. But critics say it amounts to little more than a quota system which ignores the real drivers of the crisis.

Mr Boonefaes said: “British public opinion is starting to react. They’re starting to get a little fed up with all these migrants arriving and disembarking. Find us a solution, a good solution.”

Gravelines has become a hotspot for smuggling activity, with gangs launching inflatable boats from canals and rivers under the cover of darkness. Police have tried to block routes using floating barriers, but smugglers continue to adapt their tactics.

Mr Boonefaes told The Telegraph: “Gangs are using dinghies like a taxi service. They launch from the canal, sail out into the sea, then pick up groups hiding in the dunes. It happens almost every night.”

Many of the boats are crammed with up to 60 people, including women and children. According to Mr Boonefaes, many wear counterfeit life jackets that absorb water rather than keep the wearer afloat.

Gravelines is a town in northern France, a few miles from Calais (Image: Getty)

He said: “These jackets act like sponges. They don’t float – they sink. It’s a death trap.”

Mr Boonefaes also claimed that British authorities had considered building a barrier in the canal to stop boat launches, but he warned that it would put lives at risk and obstruct a local sailing school.

He said: “The canal is used for sport, for learning. A barrier might help stop some boats, but it could also stop rescuers getting through. That’s the dilemma.

“There’s a woman who lives alone next door. Her husband travels; she’s afraid. She asks me if there are migrants coming to the house. What should I do? ... And when we call, the police are so busy fighting migration that they don’t necessarily have the manpower to go and reassure the population. That’s really a problem for people.”

Violent confrontations between police and migrants have also increased. On a beach near Boulogne-sur-Mer last week, officers were forced to wade into the sea and puncture a boat filled with passengers using knives. Last month, tear gas was fired at another group on Gravelines beach to prevent a launch.

Residents and business owners say the impact is growing. Alain Deflesselles, a teacher, said: “I couldn’t say anything bad about the gendarmes – their work is very difficult. But we have less and less freedom of the area we can go now.”

He added: “I used to take my children for walks in the dunes. Now I don’t. There are camps, people hiding. You just don’t feel the same freedom.”

Florian, a 21-year-old student who works at a local campsite, said bookings had dropped by 10% as guests grew uneasy.

He said: “Sometimes they are just across in the campsite. We have a lot of surveillance here; there is a helicopter and a plane, always, every night. And sometimes police officers.”

He added: “We don’t have many problems here in the campsite, but more in the winter because they know we are closed. They used one [property] – we have some accommodation that is like, between a tent and a bungalow – and they just went straight in.”

He said: “It doesn’t really affect the campsite in general but we know some people feel uncomfortable with it.”

Meanwhile Mr Boonefaes warned that unless the UK and France address the issue at its source, the situation will only get worse.

He said: “It’s not enough to just move migrants around like pieces on a board. That’s not a solution.”