The EU is pushing for Britain to make a financial contribution towards its Channel Action Plan ahead of Andy Burnham’s Brexit reset summit on November 20.
A leaked draft of the joint statement between the UK and the EU reveals the move.
The demand for additional UK funding comes on top of the £662million already committed to France to address illegal small boat crossings, according to The Sun.
Brussels wants British taxpayers to help fund its own cross-Channel migration crackdown, with the request tucked away in the EU’s version of the proposed summit announcement.
The revelation is likely to intensify scrutiny of the Government’s approach to EU negotiations.
The leaked document states: “Given the shared nature of these challenges, effective implementation requires a joint effort, including, where appropriate, through a financial contribution by the UK.”
The EU’s Channel Action Plan was established in June, uniting France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in a coordinated effort to dismantle people-smuggling networks and strengthen border surveillance.
The initiative also aims to deepen cooperation between the participating nations’ border agencies.
From the plan’s inception, Brussels signalled that it expected Britain to share the financial burden of joint operations targeting illegal Channel crossings.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the prospect of handing over further funds, describing it as “shameful” and branding any such agreement “another sell-out”.
He told The Sun: “The Government is already paying £660million to France for very little in return – over 23,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the channel already this year.”
Mr Philp insisted it would be unacceptable for ministers to “hand over our hard-earned money to the EU for nothing in return.”
The summit is also expected to cover new agreements on food trade, energy and youth mobility as part of a broader recalibration of the UK-EU relationship.
A Home Office spokesman has previously said joint operations with international partners have stopped more than 50,000 crossing attempts and led to the seizure of 1,100 boats and engines since the general election.
The spokesman said: “But we must go further. That’s why we are boosting the number of officers on the ground in France and removing the pull factors drawing people here through illegal and dangerous routes.”
Close to 1,050 French officers are now deployed to support joint UK-France efforts to prevent crossings, with an additional surge team reinforcing operations along western beaches.
In October, the Home Secretary signed an agreement with her Belgian counterpart Bernard Quintin to speed up intelligence sharing between the two countries’ police forces, aimed at dismantling the organised criminal networks behind migrant smuggling.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said of the deal: “This agreement will help UK and Belgian police tighten the net around the criminal gangs behind small boat crossings. We’ll work with every international partner available to track them down, shut them down and bring them to justice.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told EU leaders last month that Britain’s financial contribution would be “important,” while EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner visited London to discuss migration and border security.
A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on leaks or provide a running commentary on live negotiations.”