France’s National Rally faces immediate political fallout after its president, Jordan Bardella, put his name to a public memorandum with Nigel Farage that commits to handling people intercepted in the Channel and returning them to their countries of origin. The agreement, signed on stage in Birmingham, has prompted criticism that Bardella’s pledge conflicts with his party’s established stance and threatens France’s control over migration policy.
The memorandum, presented in English and French, sets out that the UK would intercept boats launched from the French coast and that France would arrange returns to migrants’ home countries. The English version also includes the phrase "France will ordinarily accept these persons," a line that opponents say amounts to an unexpected promise by the RN to take back people arriving in the UK by small boat. Reform UK has insisted the text was approved by Bardella and his presidential team and that the policy appeared in both language versions.
Bardella, the 30-year-old protege of Marine Le Pen who is now slated to serve as her prospective prime minister, defended tougher border controls while speaking in Italy, saying his party in government would reduce crossings into France. RN has otherwise long resisted accepting returns from the UK, with Le Pen in 2021 urging a rewrite of border agreements so Britain would return people to their countries of origin rather than to France. Le Pen declined to comment on the Birmingham memorandum, saying she would address the issue at a time of her choosing.
Critics across the French political spectrum accused Bardella of surrendering French interests. The Europe minister Benjamin Haddad called the move "submission" that worked "against our interests and sovereignty." The MP Sacha Houlié described the episode as "miserable," and Gabriel Attal said the scene suggested Bardella either did not understand English or had failed to defend France. Édouard Philippe labelled the episode hypocritical and divisive, and Xavier Bertrand said it risked making France "Britain’s subcontractor." From the UK, the Conservative shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, called the deal a "complete farce" and criticised Reform UK’s lack of detailed planning.
The episode also underlines shifting alliances on the right. Farage has kept a distance from Marine Le Pen while cultivating ties with Bardella and is rumoured to plan a meeting with Le Pen in the autumn. Farage previously rejected cooperation when Jean-Marie Le Pen led the party in 2014, accusing it of prejudice and antisemitism, and has since praised Marine Le Pen for removing extreme elements. At the same time, a Paris appeal court ruling in July reduced Le Pen’s ban from running, allowing her to stand in next spring’s presidential contest.
Reform UK says both parties are fully on board, but French political opponents and media have demanded clarification about the bilingual texts and whether Bardella understood the wording he signed. The memorandum’s language may be revised, but for now the public pledge has forced the RN into a fast-moving dispute over migration, sovereignty and party coherence ahead of a high-stakes presidential campaign.
