Bardella-Farage
immigration deal faces backlash across French political spectrum
The
agreement was blasted as a capitulation to British interests by much of the
political class in France.
Nigel
Farage, right, joins Jordan Bardella onstage during the signing of a memorandum
of understanding in Birmingham, England on Sept. 4, 2026. | Dan Kitwood/Getty
Images
September
7, 2026 12:47 pm CET
PARIS —
French presidential candidates from the far left to the far right are blasting
the memorandum of understanding on stopping migration across the English
Channel that National Rally President Jordan Bardella signed with Reform U.K.’s
Nigel Farage on Friday.
Critics
of the deal, which says in
English that France “will ordinarily accept” migrants intercepted in
the English Channel and sent back to French shores, accused the far-right MEP
of attempting to cede French sovereignty on immigration matters. The pact only
goes into effect if Reform UK and the National Rally take power in the United
Kingdom and France, respectively.
On
X, Xavier Bertrand, the conservative president of the Hauts-de-France
region that includes some of the most well-known launch points for the
so-called “small boats” trying to reach the U.K. from France, accused Bardella
of “bowing down” to Farage and wanting to make France the U.K.’s
“subcontractor” on border enforcement.
Jean-Luc
Mélenchon, the leading left-wing candidate for next year’s election, also
said Bardella would turn France into a “gatekeeper” for the U.K. “This
wasn’t France speaking, it was a fascist with no reputation and no standing,”
he added during a campaign rally on Saturday.
Gabriel
Attal, the leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, said
Bardella “either doesn’t understand English, or is shockingly weak when it
comes to defending French interests.”
Edouard
Philippe, the leading center-right candidate in the race, also mocked the
Bardella-Farage agreement.
“We
didn’t see that one coming,” he
said on X.
Even the
National Rally’s competitors on the far right called out the accord.
“Jordan
Bardella agrees to take in foreigners on our soil whom Great Britain does not
want,” said Eric
Zemmour, the leader of the anti-immigrant party Reconquest. “Having allies
must NEVER come at any price — especially not at the expense of the integrity
of our borders and our people.”
Noticeably
silent was National Rally presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen. The French
far-right duo has
struggled to find its footing since a court in July shortened Le Pen’s
sentence for embezzlement of EU funds, allowing her to run. Bardella had
previously been expected to be the party’s candidate in next year’s election.
Last
month, Farage announced that, if elected, he would launch the “largest military
operation in the English Channel since World War II” to intercept small boats
and return migrants to French shores. But a person close to Le Pen, speaking to
POLITICO on condition of anonymity, raised doubts about the plan.
“Why
[send them back] to France if they aren’t French?” said the individual.
Sarah
Paillou contributed to this report.
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