Farage and France's National Rally sign migration pact

Nigel Farage announced a "new entente cordiale" with France's National Rally party, pledging cooperation to stop small boats crossing the Channel, formalized in a memorandum signed with party president Jordan Bardella at the Reform conference on Friday. The agreement commits both parties to collaborate on returning migrants to France, with Farage referencing early 20th-century treaties to signify close ties. Bardella promised that if National Rally wins power in 2027, France will stop being a gateway for illegal migration into the UK. Existing UK-France cooperation includes a £501-million deal signed in April, with Channel crossings down 40% year-on-year and summer numbers at their lowest since 2019. Bardella also stressed returning illegal migrants to their countries of origin and breaking smuggler business models.