Reform UK and National Rally sign Channel migrant-return memorandum

Macron administration rejected earlier Royal Navy plan as sovereignty violation

The memorandum was unveiled at Reform UK’s annual conference in Birmingham on 4 September, with Farage and Bardella signing a large mock-up of the document before an audience of Reform members, one of whom shouted “Vive la France!” according to the BBC’s account. The agreement builds on a plan Reform UK announced in August to use the Royal Navy to intercept small boats in British territorial waters and return migrants to French ports.

Under the terms of the document, the United Kingdom would intercept boats that had launched from French shores and entered British waters, and France would “ordinarily accept” those on board, then repatriate them to their home countries “in accordance with the law in force in France concerning expulsion.” The memorandum is a political agreement rather than a binding treaty, but it could be developed into a legal arrangement between two future governments if both Reform UK and National Rally come to power.

Speaking before the signing in the main conference hall, Bardella told delegates that an RN government would “do everything in its power to ensure that France is no longer the gateway for illegal migration into the United Kingdom.” He praised Farage and pledged to work with a future Reform government on the migration issue. National Rally is leading French polling ahead of presidential elections scheduled for April 2027.

Joined by Bardella on stage after the speech, Farage described the memorandum as a “new Entente Cordiale,” invoking the 1904 series of Anglo-French agreements that laid the groundwork for greater diplomatic cooperation between the two countries. He called the document “historic” and said it would “stop the boats forever.” Challenged during a news conference over whether the wording “ordinarily” meant some migrants would not be accepted by France, Farage said it was “legalese.” He argued the mechanism would remove the incentive to pay people smugglers: “in very, very short order the business model is broken.”

Under the broader Reform UK proposals, migrants who reach the UK after crossing the Channel would be detained and deported directly to their home countries rather than returned to France. Stopping Channel crossings within the first 100 days of a Reform government is one of the party’s stated pledges.

The agreement has drawn opposition from France’s government. In August, Macron’s administration publicly criticised Reform UK’s earlier Navy-based proposal, saying it would violate French sovereignty and breach international law. UK opposition parties have also branded the plan unworkable.

Labour has pointed to existing UK–France cooperation as already reducing crossings. That cooperation includes extra officers deployed to French beaches and increased funding for prevention efforts. The Labour government of Sir Keir Starmer signed a “one in, one out” pilot arrangement last year that allows the UK to send some small-boat arrivals back to France while accepting the same number of people from France with legitimate claims to enter the UK.

Farage and Bardella have been cultivating closer ties since the two met in London in December 2025. National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, who previously was tipped as a potential 2027 presidential candidate, has said she would make Bardella prime minister if the party wins power. In July, Le Pen announced she would run for the presidency after a Paris appeal court upheld her conviction for misusing EU funds but shortened her sentence, clearing the path for her candidacy.