Deal with Macron to end small boat crossings won't work, according to the officials charged with implementing it

Almost 700 migrants have illegally crossed the Channel on the same day Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to tackle the small boats crisis, GB News sources can confirm.

Keir Starmer’s government has hit its lowest ever approval rating with the public, according to a damning new poll. The YouGov survey, carried out to mark Labour’s first year in power, found that just 13% of voters are happy with the party’s performance. By contrast, 67% of the public say they disapprove of how the government is doing.

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Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer answers questions during a press conference on Aug. 1, 2024. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer answers questions during a press conference on Aug. 1, 2024. Henry Nicholls—AFP/ Contributor It was a moment that will remain etched in British minds.

Although MPs comfortably passed the government’s Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments Bill by 336 votes to 242, dozens of Labour backbenchers thumbed their nose at the prime minister. Some 47 voted against the legislation, with a further 14 abstaining.

Starmer and Macron hold a bilateral summit - with a deal aimed at deterring migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats from France expected to top the agenda.