FRENCH cops were criticised last night for intercepting fewer than a third of Channel migrants.
The latest Home Office figures show 980 people tried to leave the beaches on small boats on the week commencing November 17.
But while 662 successfully reached Britain, just 318 were prevented from making the journey.
Britain is paying France around £500million for its support curbing illegal migration, yet critics have constantly warned taxpayers are not getting value for money.
Downing Street last night ratcheted up pressure on Paris to snare more small boat crossings but defended the current agreement.
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “We want to see more interceptions, obviously, a higher interception rate.
“We’ve seen higher interception rates in the past. Our work with the French has prevented over 25,000 crossing attempts this year, and that has been helped by increased collaboration, but we won’t be satisfied with that. We want to keep going further.”
Last week a group of French mayors accused the UK government of “hypocrisy” for asking them to intercept small boats while not doing enough to deter migration.
Rob Bates, director of the Centre for Migration Control, said: “Europe has clearly given up working with Britain to end the Channel crossings.
“This government are so unserious about solving the flow of illegal migrants that capitals across the continent now see us as a doormat that they can walk over.”
