France is preparing to give its maritime police new powers to intercept suspected “migrant taxi boats” in the English Channel, in a significant shift in tactics aimed at curbing small-boat crossings to the United Kingdom.

In a statement carried by Sky News on Friday, France’s Maritime Gendarmerie said it would “soon be able to carry out control and intervention operations at sea” against vessels believed to be used by people-smuggling gangs. The move, which is still being finalised, follows months of pressure from London and is seen as a key test of the new Labour government’s pledge to cut irregular Channel crossings without reviving the scrapped Rwanda scheme.

French authorities say the change is designed to tackle a relatively new smuggling method in which larger inflatables travel parallel to the coast and act as “taxi boats”, collecting migrants from the shallows at multiple points before heading towards UK waters. Officials argue this tactic has sharply increased the danger to those attempting the journey, with people often boarding in waist‑deep water in chaotic night‑time conditions.

Under the emerging plan, French maritime units would be authorised to intervene in shallow waters, reportedly up to around 300 metres from the French shore, to stop or board suspect vessels before they take large numbers of people on board. Until now, French practice has largely focused on beach operations and on treating already‑loaded dinghies at sea primarily as search‑and‑rescue cases, rather than targets for enforcement action.

The Maritime Gendarmerie stressed that the state’s response was “continuously adapting” to smugglers’ tactics and that it was “important to clearly distinguish” these new control operations from life‑saving rescues, which remain governed by France’s obligations under international maritime law. The force also said “the use of nets to stop taxi‑boats is not being considered at this stage”, after earlier UK briefings had suggested nets might be deployed to foul engines in shallow water.

In London, the government welcomed the announcement as evidence of “close” Anglo‑French co‑operation. A UK government spokesperson said Britain had asked French officers to review their maritime tactics “so they can intervene in shallow waters”, and highlighted the wider package of joint measures, including the “one in, one out” migrant returns deal agreed between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron in July.

Downing Street has repeatedly argued there is “no silver bullet” to end small‑boat crossings, and has accused the previous Conservative administration of leaving “no effective deterrent” in place and relying instead on what one No 10 spokesperson called a “Rwanda gimmick”. The Rwanda deportation plan was ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in 2023 and subsequently abandoned by Labour after it won the 2024 general election.

The new French powers come amid renewed upward pressure on Channel numbers. According to Home Office figures cited by Sky News, 39,292 people had crossed in small boats between 1 January and 25 November this year, a 17% increase on the same period in 2024 and already above last year’s total of 36,816. The record, 45,774, was set in 2022. The UK government says more than 20,000 attempted crossings have been prevented in 2025, though that figure has not been independently verified.

Under the “one in, one out” pilot, some migrants who arrive in the UK via small boats are to be detained and returned to France, with Britain in turn accepting the same number of asylum seekers directly from French territory via a safe route. The treaty, formalised in August and due to run until June 2026, has so far produced relatively small numbers: The Times reports that 153 people have been removed under the scheme, with some subsequently making fresh attempts to cross.

In France, the maritime shift has been the subject of months of legal and political debate. Officials have signalled that the new doctrine is intended to remain compatible with the country’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and search‑and‑rescue conventions, which require states to assist persons in distress at sea. Police unions and some local officials, however, have expressed concern about potential criminal or civil liability if an interception leads to injuries or deaths.

Rights groups in both countries have also raised alarms. NGOs quoted by the Guardian warned that tougher interdiction policies could push people towards more perilous routes or departure points, increasing the risk of drownings, and indicated they were exploring possible legal challenges on human‑rights and asylum‑access grounds, particularly if operations are seen as de facto “pushbacks”.

Legal and maritime experts say scrutiny is likely to focus on how French officers distinguish between preventive enforcement against relatively empty “taxi boats” and situations where migrants on board might be deemed to be in distress, triggering an overriding duty to rescue. Detailed rules of engagement have not been made public, and it remains unclear exactly when the new powers will take effect and how frequently they will be used once in force.