Bardella and Farage Formalize Alliance to Halt Channel Crossings Indefinitely

On Friday, Jordan Bardella, head of France’s far-right National Rally party, signed a “memorandum of understanding” with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during the party’s annual conference in Birmingham. The agreement pledges to halt migrant boat crossings “forever” should their parties assume power.

The pact was signed on stage, where Farage characterized the deal as a “genuine new entente cordiale” between the two nations and their respective political movements.

Bardella, who is positioning himself to become France’s next Prime Minister, declared: “the United Kingdom must not be the destination for illegal immigrants entering France. They must be sent back to their countries of origin.”

Delivering his remarks in English — a rare choice for the French politician — Bardella accused French President Emmanuel Macron of “failing” to protect France. Switching to French for the subsequent press conference, he argued that “if France managed its borders better, no one would leave Calais.”

This meeting came just one day after President Macron traveled to London for talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, focusing on strategies to “scale up” efforts against illegal crossings and to deepen UK ties with Europe.

Earlier in the week, the Labour government reported that the UK had experienced its lowest summer numbers of migrant boats crossing the Channel from France since 2019.

Complicated history with the National Rally

Although Bardella and Farage previously met at a private London club in December, their political relationship has not always been straightforward. Despite their shared Eurosceptic stances, Farage has had a turbulent history with the National Rally and its former leader, Marine Le Pen.

Tensions flared in 2014 when Le Pen accused Farage of “aggression” toward her party after he declined to form a European Parliament alliance with the National Front — as the National Rally was previously known — citing concerns over the party’s “anti-Semitism and general prejudice.”

Addressing questions about his past ties to the party, Farage acknowledged on Friday that he had been “nervous” about the National Front, founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, when he first entered the European Parliament in 1999.

“When Marine took over, I observed the situation; I didn’t get involved right away. What she has accomplished, namely ridding the party of those extremist elements and bringing it into the mainstream, is a considerable achievement,” Farage stated.

Reform UK led national polls for over a year until July, though its support has since declined amid scandals surrounding irregular political funding.

Hours before the conference began on Friday, Reform UK was reported to the Metropolitan Police and the Electoral Commission over allegations of illegal donations.

The report followed an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News, in which an investigative group called Verbatim posed as a wealthy American financier and his UK-based son. UK law prohibits foreign investors from making political donations.

Source link