The change in policy comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote to President Emmanuel Macron urging him to back the plan and saying we currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel, according to a report in Le Monde.

French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, the maritime police force has confirmed to the BBC. French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.

Le Monde reported Sir Keir's letter as reading: "It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel." Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life. Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which Le Monde has previously reported could be used to snarl the propellers of the boats. The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, driven by former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. The BBC reported in March that Retailleau wanted these interceptions to begin - but had conceded it was a difficult issue for his government to solve because of their maritime policing rules. (BBC)