Nigel Farage has dismissed French claims they will begin intercepting Channel migrants.

The Reform UK leader said, despite rhetoric from Paris, that gendarmes stand and watch asylum seekers attempting to reach Britain before the French navy “escorts” them to the median line.

And he slammed the “ludicrous” situation of British and French vessels arranging to hand migrants over in the middle of the Channel.

The Daily Express on Wednesday obtained another recording of French officials discussing handing out lifejackets to migrants. On this occasion, they "engaged" with a dinghy and counted how many had buoyancy aids, before allowing the vessel to continue on towards British waters.

Mr Farage said: “I just don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it. We have given France half a billion quid and now the Government are actually giving out lifejackets.

“You know, we’d heard a story a month ago that they are going to stop boats from leaving shallow waters. Plenty of videos that I’ve put out over the last couple of days are just them standing there watching them.”

Told UK sources are hoping interceptions could begin from the end of May, Mr Farage said: “It won’t happen.”

Asked if he believed the French promises to do more to stop Channel crossings, the Reform UK leader said: “No, no, no, no.

“The French navy escort the boats to a 12-mile line. You could listen to them talking on the radios, and Border Force are happy to take them. It’s ludicrous.

The Reform UK leader added that Sir Keir will “oversee a record number of illegals coming to the UK”. More than 700 migrants are feared to have crossed the Channel on Tuesday, breaking the record for the number of arrivals on a single day this year.

Slamming Labour’s record on immigration, the Reform leader told supporters: “Channel crossings so far this year are over 40% higher than they were last year, and that’s before we get the warm weather. That’s before temperatures in the Channel increase.

“So we’re on for a record year and there’s no sign of anyone crossing the Channel being deported. Nobody that comes is going to be deported because, and the Prime Minister made very clear in only his second speech in the Commons as Prime Minister, how wedded he was to the European Convention on Human Rights.

“As far as we are concerned, this is about sovereignty, and we will leave the ECHR if we’re in Government, we’ll repeal the Human Rights Act and stop our now somewhat corrupted judiciary from using this at every opportunity to not deport people.”

The French are giving migrants lifejackets because the small boats crisis is getting worse.

And the Daily Express has obtained another recording of a Border Force vessel discussing whether the French navy ship has given migrants lifejackets.

The French told Border Force Ranger they were following a dinghy carrying 60 people, with “at least five children and six women”.

They then confirm that they have “engaged” with the small boat, adding there are no search and rescue operations linked to that dinghy.

The captain then reveals: “There are just 10 lifejackets. No extra lifejackets have been given to this boat.”

The dinghy was among 12 to reach the UK on Tuesday, it is understood. It will prompt renewed fury over the French handing out lifejackets to migrants instead of intercepting them and taking back to the beaches.

Some 705 migrants arrived in the UK on Tuesday after crossing the English Channel, according to provisional figures from the Home Office.

It is the highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year. The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2025 now stands at a provisional total of 8,888.

This is 42% higher than at the same point last year, when the total stood at 6.265, and 81% higher than at this stage in 2023, when the total was 4,899. There were 12 boats that arrived on Tuesday, which suggests an average of around 59 people per boat.

The record for the highest number of arrivals on a single day is 1,305, which took place on September 3, 2022.