Blow to Labour as migrant deal with France branded ‘bad value for money’ | UK | News
A top Belgian official has slammed the UK’s new deal with France to stop migrants crossing the English Channel as “bad value for money”. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood signed a three-year agreement with France on Thursday to pay £662 million to support beach patrols as part of efforts to drive down the number of arrivals. It will see the UK hand over £501 million to cover enforcement activity and five police units on French beaches, with an extra £160 million only paid if the new tactics succeed. Carl Decaluwe, governor of West Flanders, warned that the millions of pounds of taxpayer cash could achieve very little, however. He told The Telegraph: “You get nothing; nothing… If you see the results – year after year – new records!” Mr Decaluwe, a former member of Belgium’s centre-right Christian Democratic and Flemish Party, added that he was calling for the France-Belgium border to be closed, which would be a major breach of the Schengen zone, which allows passport-free travel between its 29 member states. “I asked some weeks …

