Overview
- Alliance, France’s largest police union, refused to carry out risky arrests at sea, warning officers could face prosecution if migrants were harmed.
- French prosecutors rejected requests to waive criminal liability, creating a standoff that has paused planned interceptions in late December.
- The shelved tactics included ordering dinghies to stop, immobilising them by jamming propellers, and diverting boats back to French shores for handover.
- The French Navy and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez raised safety objections, and an earlier approval for limited shallow‑water interventions has effectively been put aside.
- The UK Home Office said operational decisions rest with France and cited over 22,000 prevented crossing attempts this year, while more than 37,000 people reached the UK by small boat and Conservative critics attacked Keir Starmer over undelivered sea interceptions.