The groundwork for a potential Anglo-Franco alliance against illegal immigration appeared to be laid this week as the two front-running populist candidates to take power in London and Paris agreed to a new borders framework.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and National Rally president Jordan Bardella held private talks in London to discuss the future of relations and, critically, the migrant crisis in the English Channel.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Bardella vowed that if elected to the Élysée Palace, he would allow British patrols to push back illegal boat migrants to the beaches of France.
Under President Macron, Paris has steadfastly refused to agree to such pushbacks, claiming that it would endanger migrants, who have previously thrown themselves overboard rather than being sent back to France.
This has meant that the British Border Force and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have been forced to pick up migrants halfway in the English Channel and bring them ashore at Dover, where they almost universally apply for asylum, despite having come from a first-world, prosperous and safe EU nation in France.
Since 2018, more than 187,000 illegal immigrants have successfully crossed the English Channel.
Adding insult to injury, London has committed to nearly £1 billion in payoffs to Paris to increase patrols of its beaches to prevent the people smuggling gangs who run the trade from operating.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Starmer and President Macron agreed to a “one in, one out” deal in which illegal boat migrants are sent back to France in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers from France deemed to have a good chance of qualifying for asylum in Britain. As of last month, only around 94 illegals were sent back to France, compared to the nearly 40,000 who arrived this year.
Bardella said that the deal is a “smokescreen and that the ship is leaking from all sides, and we’re putting tape over the holes. I’m in favour of a total overhaul.”
While Bardella is only 30 years old and was widely expected to run in the next presidential election as Marine Le Pen’s deputy, his longstanding mentor has been barred from running for office over alleged misuse of EU funds. This sentence, she claims, is nothing more than lawfare intended to destabilise her ascendant National Rally party.
However, recent polling has shown that Bardella may fare even better than Le Pen, and surveys have shown him comfortably beating all major challengers in the race to replace Macron in 2027.
Similarly, Nigel Farage has held a commanding lead in the polls in Britain, where his Reform UK party is widely tipped to win the next general election. While a vote is not scheduled until 2029, Mr Farage has predicted that the left-wing Labour government will collapse well before then.
Speaking of a “patriotic alliance” following his meeting with Mr Farage on Tuesday, Mr Bardella said: “We came to the conclusion that we must prepare our political movements to exercise power and that it is possible we will do so at the same time.”
“I think that Farage will be the next prime minister,” Bardella said. “He was a pioneer. I have a lot of respect for him, because he was a pioneer who fought for the freedom and independence of his country.”
The populist leader also vowed to hold a national referendum on immigration in France if elected, allowing Paris to adopt a similar immigration model to Denmark, which is exempt from many EU immigration rules. Bardella added that he would make it mandatory for asylum seekers to apply outside of the country, rather than the current system, which allows for illegal migrants to make claims after arriving in France.
Furthermore, he said that a National Rally government would give French citizens “priority access to social housing and social assistance” over immigrants.
“My ambition is to make France the least attractive country for mass immigration in Europe. And from there, if it is no longer possible to cross, then there will be no one left in Calais.”
In addition to forging closer ties between Britain and France, the meeting between the two prospective leaders may also lay the foundation for a “patriotic alliance” in Europe. While Farage has previously been hesitant to partner with the National Rally under Marine Le Pen’s leadership, a partnership with Bardella could open the door to cooperation with other populist-nationalist parties across Europe, as has been advocated by longtime Farage ally President Donald Trump.
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