Multiple reports describe tensions around Channel crossings and UK–France cooperation after comments attributed to a director involved with a France-backed film. The articles say the director told migrants in the area to call 999 and claimed that a UK rescue would come. The reports frame the remark as part of an ongoing Channel crisis, noting recent UK government action to fund efforts in France to deter people from attempting dangerous sea crossings.
One source also references the UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and states that the government has provided France with £662 million of UK taxpayer money intended to reduce the flow of asylum seekers reaching Britain. The cited reports do not provide additional verified detail about the circumstances of the comments beyond the claim that the director encouraged migrants to contact UK emergency services. Overall, the sources align on the existence of the director’s alleged remarks and on the broader context of UK funding and efforts with France aimed at preventing Channel crossings.
